Systems and methods for provisioning cryptographic digital assets for blockchain-secured retail products

ABSTRACT

Presented are cryptographic digital assets for retail products, methods for making/using such cryptographic digital assets, and computing systems for generating, intermingling, and exchanging blockchain-protected products. A method for provisioning cryptographic digital assets associated with retail product transfers includes broadcasting notifications of a future transaction of a retail product, and receiving, over a distributed computing network from the computing devices of multiple users, requests to participate in the transaction. A select number of users is added to a virtual line associated with the retail product transaction; from the virtual line, a first user is selected to receive the retail product and a second user is selected to receive a cryptographic digital asset containing a digital retail product and a unique digital asset code. The cryptographic digital asset is transferred to the second user’s digital wallet, and the unique digital asset code is recorded on a record block of a blockchain ledger.

CLAIM OR PRIORITY AND CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. Pat. App. No. 17/684,356,which was filed on Mar. 1, 2022, is now allowed, and is a divisional ofU.S. Pat. App. No. 15/931,764, which was filed on May 14, 2020, is nowU.S. Pat. No. 11,295,318 B2, and is a continuation-in-part of U.S.Patent App. No. 16/707,720, which was filed on Dec. 9, 2019, is now U.S.Pat. No. 11,113,754 B2, and is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Pat. App.No. 16/423,671, which was filed on May 28, 2019, is now U.S. Pat. No.10,505,726 B1, and claims the benefit of priority to U.S. ProvisionalPat. App. No. 62/776,699, which was filed on Dec. 7, 2018, and is nowexpired. All of the foregoing applications and patents are incorporatedherein by reference in their respective entireties and for all purposes.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to retail products, such asfootwear and apparel. More particularly, aspects of this disclosurerelate to decentralized computing systems with control logic forcreating and distributing cryptographic digital assets for securingretail products and digital design files thereof.

BACKGROUND

Manufacturers of quality retail products, such as high-end footwear andapparel, have long been plagued by the sale of counterfeit products,namely imitation goods that are made with the intent to deceive buyersinto believing that they are purchasing the true manufacturer’sauthentic goods. Similar issues exist within the digital realm, wheredigital products are often subject to unauthorized reproduction andsale. Unauthorized production and counterfeit reproduction of goods canerode a brand’s value and/or exclusivity, can negatively affect acompany’s profitability, and may compromise a user’s subjectiveperception of the product as “collectable.”

Many anti-counterfeiting techniques have been developed to help identifycounterfeit goods and to prevent illicit sales of such counterfeits.Unfortunately, within the digital realm, supply is often unconstrained -if not by the original developer, then by a subsequent party who mayfreely (or illicitly) duplicate the digital object in its entirety. Thisoften complicates a brand owner’s ability to control the exclusivity ofa digital object and, thus, to have influence regarding the value ofthat object. The lack of control over digital-object exclusivity thenerodes the opportunity for free brand promotion by product enthusiastsand collectors who are in search of that object (e.g., as often occursupon the release of limited production sneakers by “sneakerheads”).

Market participants and brand enthusiasts in a free market typicallyassign a higher value to an object if there is limited supply and/or ifthere is excess demand for that object. While these realities areobvious in the physical real world (particularly to an avid collector),similar market realities also exist within a digital realm. With theproliferation of first and third person video games involvingcustomizable skins, apparel, and gear, there exists an opportunity toengage and influence users in the digital realm via collectable objectsso that they may be more engaged with a brand in the physical world.Likewise, there exists a need for a retailer to more directly influenceand/or control the nature and ultimate supply of digital objects withinthis virtual market.

SUMMARY

Presented herein are cryptographic digital assets for retail products,such as footwear and apparel, methods for provisioning and methods forintermingling such cryptographic digital assets, and decentralizedcomputing systems with attendant control logic for generating,intermingling, and exchanging blockchain-secured digital shoes andapparel. More specifically, many of the presently described featuresrely on the trust established in and by blockchain technology to enablea company to control the creation, distribution, expression, and use oftangible products and digital objects that represent their brand. Unliketypical digital assets that are freely reproducible without loss ofcontent or quality, the use of discrete recordation of ownership viablockchain technology eliminates the ability for simple digitalreproductions of the digital objects. In doing so, the company has theability to control or limit the overall supply of the digital objects(or object trait) and may create controlled scarcity if so desired.

The present disclosure contemplates that, in some examples, the digitalobject may be representative of: a physical object offered for retailsale; a 2D or 3D design rendering or design file that may be suitablefor future production; a virtual representation of an object that is notpresently intended for physical creation/production; or other suchobjects. To further promote brand engagement and use of the digitalobject, the visual expression of a displayed digital object may bealtered by the user’s use of the object, the user’s use of a relatedretail product or app, or other such measures of object/brandengagement. In addition, the attributes of the digital object and/or itsvisual expression may affect how the object or the user-controlledcharacter performs within a video game context.

By way of example, and not limitation, there are presented cryptographicdigital assets that are secured through a blockchain ledger oftransaction blocks. These digital assets may function, at least in part,to connect a real-world product, such as a physical shoe, to a virtualcollectible, such as a digital shoe. When a consumer buys a genuine pairof shoes -colloquially known as “kicks” - a digital representation of ashoe may be generated, linked with the consumer, and assigned acryptographic token, where the digital shoe and cryptographic tokencollectively may represent a “CryptoKick” (CK or CRYPTOKICKS®). Thedigital representation may include a computer-generated avatar of theshoe or a limited-edition artist rendition of the shoe. The digitalasset may be secured by an encryption-protected block that contains atransaction timestamp, transaction data, and a hash pointer as a link toa related block (e.g., genesis block or prior transacted block) in adecentralized blockchain. Using the digital asset, the buyer is enabledto securely trade or sell the tangible pair of shoes, trade or sell thedigital shoe, store the digital shoe in a cryptocurrency wallet or otherdigital blockchain locker, intermingle or “breed” the digital shoe withanother digital shoe to create “shoe offspring,” and, based on rules ofacceptable shoe manufacturability, have the newly bred shoe offspringcustom made as a new, tangible pair of shoes.

Purchase of an authentic, tangible pair of shoes may enable or “unlock”a corresponding cryptographic digital asset and a digital shoeassociated with that digital asset. For example, when a person purchasesa real-world pair of shoes from a registered seller, a unique (e.g.,10-bit numeric) physical shoe identification (ID) code of the physicalshoes may be linked to a unique (e.g., 42-bit alphanumeric) owner IDcode of the buyer. Concomitantly, an access prompt with a unique (e.g.,64-bit numeric) key is issued to a cryptocurrency wallet accountassociated with the owner ID code such that the buyer can retrieve adigital shoe with a cryptographic token; the key, token, and digitalshoe are assigned to the owner ID code. For instance, a first EthereumRequest for Comments (ERC) 721 or ERC1155 token may be granted toauthenticate and transact a physical shoe, and a second ERC721/ERC1155token may be granted to access, breed, and transact a digital shoe. Forat least some implementations, real-world environmental effects, such asspecific types of usage of the physical shoes, may impact the digitalrepresentation of the shoes. Respective cryptographic tokens may beassigned to the physical shoes and to the cryptographic digital asset;alternatively, a single cryptographic token may be assigned to both thephysical shoes and the digital asset.

A digital asset, in at least some applications, may include genotypeinformation and/or phenotype information for a digital shoe. Thisgenotype/phenotype data may represent certain traits, attributes,colors, styles, backgrounds, etc., of the digital asset, and may becoordinated according to “breeding rules” that govern any interminglingof a digital shoe with one or more other discrete digital shoes.Phenotypic characteristics may depend on genotypic information, and viceversa, along with any one or more of: a virtual environment andattendant effects; time-dependent intermingling restrictions (e.g.,cannot breed virtual shoe offspring until both reach a pre-establishedmaturity); virtual user interactions that alter (e.g., speed up or slowdown) maturity or increase/decrease a likelihood of certain traitsdeveloping; real-world interactions of a user (e.g., running increasesnumber of good/desirable qualities, increases speed of maturity ofvirtual offspring, etc.); shoe cloning and allowing an owner to set atotal number of clones that can be produced from a desirable offspringfor actual real-world production, etc. Some optional features may alsoinclude: surrogacy features for breeding plans between two or morediscrete digital shoes; parenting/nannying features provided by athird-party entity that does not own the digital shoe; behavioral andanimated features designed to make a digital shoe appear more life-like(e.g., personalities that change over time); “breeding rights” for adigital shoe may be governed by one or more real-world manufacturingrestrictions; ownership rights for each successive generation of adigital shoe may be tied back to the original, real-world shoe (e.g.,wholly or partially; by percentage of genotypic contribution, etc.) viaencryption key to the originally associated virtual product, etc.

Aspects of this disclosure are directed to methods for provisioning,intermingling, and/or exchanging cryptographic digital assets forfootwear. In an example, a method is presented for automating generationof cryptographic digital assets associated with articles of footwear.This representative method includes, in any order and in any combinationwith any of the above or below disclosed features and options:receiving, via a server-class (middleware or backend) computer over adistributed computing network from a remote computing node (e.g., apoint-of-sale (POS) terminal, a personal computer, a smartphone, etc.),a transaction confirmation indicative of a validated transfer ofauthentic footwear from a first party to a second party; determining,via the middleware server computer from an encrypted relationaldatabase, a unique owner ID code (e.g., a member ID of a cryptocurrencywallet or digital locker) associated with the second party; generating acryptographic digital asset associated with the article of footwear, thecryptographic digital asset including a digital shoe (e.g., acomputer-generated avatar) and a unique digital shoe ID code (e.g., akey and cryptographic token); linking, via the middleware servercomputer, the cryptographic digital asset with the unique owner ID code;and transmitting, via the middleware server computer to a distributedblockchain ledger (e.g., Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, etc.), the uniquedigital shoe ID code and the unique owner ID code for recordation on atransaction block.

Other aspects of this disclosure are directed to decentralized computingsystems with attendant blockchain control logic for mining,intermingling, and exchanging blockchain-enabled digital shoes. As anexample, a decentralized computing system is presented for automatinggeneration of cryptographic digital assets associated with articles offootwear. The decentralized computing system includes a wirelesscommunications device that connects with one or more remote computingnodes over a distributed computing network, and a cryptographic digitalasset registry that stores digital shoes and unique digital shoe IDcodes associated with multiple cryptographic digital assets. Otherperipheral hardware may include a network interface bus, resident and/orremote memory, a user location tracking device, a UPC/UPID scanner, etc.

Continuing with the above example, the decentralized computing systemalso includes a server-class (middleware or backend) computer that isoperatively connected to the wireless communications device andcryptographic digital asset registry. The middleware server computer isprogrammed to execute memory-stored firmware and software to receive,over the distributed computing network from a remote computing node, anelectronic transaction confirmation indicative of a validated transferof authenticated footwear from one party to another party. Responsive toreceipt of the transaction confirmation, the server-class computerretrieves a unique owner ID code of the transferee party from anencrypted relational database, and generates a cryptographic digitalasset associated with the article of footwear. The cryptographic digitalasset includes a computer-generated digital shoe provisioned through aunique tokenized code with a corresponding access key. The server-classcomputer then links the cryptographic digital asset to the unique ownerID code in the cryptographic digital asset registry, and transmits theunique digital shoe ID code and unique owner ID code to a distributedblockchain ledger for recordation on a transaction block.

Further aspects of this disclosure are directed to methods forprovisioning cryptographic digital assets associated with retail producttransfers, such as a randomized lottery for purchase of a limitedrelease athletic shoe via a dedicated mobile (SNKRS®) app. Thisrepresentative method includes, in any order and in any combination withany of the above or below disclosed features and options: broadcasting,via a server computer over a distributed computing network, anelectronic notification of a future transaction for a retail product;receiving, via the server computer over the distributed computingnetwork from personal computing devices of multiple users, requests toparticipate in the future transaction; adding a select number of theusers to a virtual line associated with the future transaction of theretail product; determining, via the server computer from the usersadded to the virtual line, a first user selected to receive the retailproduct and a second user selected to receive a cryptographic digitalasset containing a digital retail product and a unique digital assetcode; requesting, via the server computer, transfer of the cryptographicdigital asset to a digital wallet of the second user; and transmittingthe unique digital asset code to a distributed blockchain ledger torecord on a distinct record block the transfer of the cryptographicdigital asset to the second user.

Additional aspects of this disclosure are directed to a computing systemfor provisioning cryptographic digital assets associated with retailproducts transfers. The computing system includes a wirelesscommunications that connects to a distributed computing network, a datastorage device that stores user data in a virtual line associated withfuture retail product transactions, and a server computercommunicatively connected to the wireless communications device and datastorage device. The server computer is programmed to broadcast anelectronic notification of a future transaction for a retail product,and thereafter receive user requests to participate in the futuretransaction. A select number of the users are added to the virtual lineassociated with the future retail product transaction; from those usersadded to the virtual line, a first user is selected to receive theretail product and a second user is selected to receive a cryptographicdigital asset containing a digital retail product and a unique digitalasset code. The cryptographic digital asset is transferred to a digitalwallet of the second user, and the unique digital asset code istransmitted to a distributed blockchain ledger and recorded on adistinct record block to confirm the transfer of the cryptographicdigital asset.

Aspects of this disclosure are also directed to a non-transitory,computer-readable medium (CRM) that stores instructions executable byone or more processors of one or more computing devices of adecentralized computing system. The CRM instructions, when executed,cause the computer device(s) to perform operations, includingbroadcasting, over a distributed computing network, an electronicnotification of a future transaction for a retail product; receiving,over the distributed computing network from personal computing devicesof multiple users, requests to participate in the future transaction;adding a select number of the users to a virtual line associated withthe future transaction of the retail product; determining, from theusers added to the virtual line, a first user selected to receive theretail product and a second user selected to receive a cryptographicdigital asset containing a digital retail product and a unique digitalasset code; requesting transfer of the cryptographic digital asset to adigital wallet of the second user; and transmitting the unique digitalasset code to a distributed blockchain ledger to record on a distinctrecord block the transfer of the cryptographic digital asset to thesecond user.

For any of the disclosed systems, methods, digital assets, and retailproducts, the unique digital shoe ID code may include a cryptographictoken key with a code string that is segmented into a series of codesubsets. A first of these code subsets may include data indicative ofattributes of the digital shoe. This attribute data may include genotypeand phenotype data for the digital shoe. A second of these code subsetsmay include data indicative of attributes of the real-world article offootwear, such as colorway, materials, manufacturing, make,sustainability/eco-responsibility, and/or model data, etc., for thearticle of footwear.

For any of the disclosed systems, methods, digital assets and footwear,the server-class decentralized system computer may respond to receivinga transaction confirmation by transmitting an electronic notification tothe second party with information for accessing the cryptographicdigital asset. The server-class computer may subsequently receive, e.g.,from a handheld personal computing device of the second party, ascanning confirmation verifying a universal product code (UPC) and/or aunique product identifier number (UPIN) corresponding to a make and amodel of the footwear has been scanned. Linking the cryptographicdigital asset with the unique owner ID code may be executed responsiveto receipt of the scanning confirmation. In at least some applications,the unique digital shoe ID code may include a cryptographic token, andthe digital notification sent to the second party may include a uniquekey with a hashed address to the cryptographic token.

For any of the disclosed systems, methods, digital assets, and retailproducts, the server-class computer may receive (from eitherparticipating party) a digital breeding solicitation with a request tointermingle the cryptographic digital asset with a third-partycryptographic digital asset. Upon receipt of this solicitation, theserver-class computer may responsively generate a progeny cryptographicdigital asset with a combination of one or more features from thesecond-party cryptographic digital asset and one or more features fromthe third-party cryptographic digital asset. For instance, eachcryptographic digital asset may be assigned a respective uniquecryptographic token key with a code string that is segmented into aseries of code subset. One or more of these code subsets may includedata indicative of attributes of the corresponding digital shoe.

For any of the disclosed systems, methods, digital assets, and retailproducts, the progeny cryptographic digital asset is provisioned via adistinct cryptographic token key with a code string composed of one ormore code subsets with attribute data extracted from the cryptographictoken key of the second-party digital asset and one or more code subsetswith attribute data extracted from the cryptographic token key of thethird-party digital asset. For instance, one code subset of the progenydigital asset may share a distinct alphanumeric sequence with a codesubset of the second-party digital asset, while another code subset ofthe progeny digital asset may share a distinct alphanumeric sequencewith a code subset of the third-party digital asset. Generating theprogeny cryptographic digital asset may include applying a random numbergenerator to: designate one of the mating cryptographic digital assetsas a sire; designate the other cryptographic digital assets as a dam;and determine which code subsets of the progeny will correspond to whichcode subsets of the sire and which code subsets of the dam.

For any of the disclosed systems, methods, digital assets, and retailproducts, the server-class computer may receive a digital transferproposal (from either the transferor or the transferee) with a requestto transfer the cryptographic digital asset to a third party. Theserver-class computer may respond by determining a new unique owner IDcode of the third party, link the cryptographic digital asset with thisnew unique owner ID code, and record the transfer of the unique digitalshoe ID code to the new unique owner ID code on a new transaction blockwith the distributed blockchain ledger. The digital transfer proposalmay be transmitted in response to a confirmation indicative of a newvalidated transfer of the article of footwear from the second party tothe third party. Alternatively, transfer of the cryptographic digitalasset to a third party may be independent of transfer of the physicalfootwear. Optionally, the server-class computer may generate a smartcontract that authenticates ownership of and/or tracks futuretransaction of the cryptographic digital asset. The unique owner ID codemay be linked with a cryptocurrency wallet that registered with thedistributed blockchain ledger.

For any of the disclosed systems, methods, digital assets, and retailproducts, a unique digital asset code may include a cryptographic tokenwith a code string segmented into at least a private key and a publickey. As a further option, a retail product transaction includesimpending transactions of multiple retail products; in this instance, afirst subset of the users added to the virtual line are each selected toreceive one of the retail products. In the same vein, the cryptographicdigital asset may include multiple cryptographic digital assets; in thisinstance, a second subset of the users added to the virtual line, whichwere not selected to receive a retail product, is each selected toreceive one of the cryptographic digital assets.

For any of the disclosed systems, methods, digital assets, and retailproducts, the cryptographic digital assets include multiple asset setseach containing a distinct type of cryptographic digital asset. In thisinstance, the second subset of users includes multiple subset groupswith users each selected to receive the corresponding type ofcryptographic digital assets from that asset set. Optionally, the firstasset set includes a distinct number of the first type of cryptographicdigital assets, and the second asset set includes a distinct number ofthe second type of cryptographic digital assets. The second asset setmay include a fraction (e.g., ~1-2%) of the number of assets containedin the first asset set.

For any of the disclosed systems, methods, digital assets, and retailproducts, each transfer of a cryptographic digital asset to a digitalwallet of a user may be accompanied by an electronic message to the userwith a unique key and a hashed address to a cryptographic token. As yeta further option, the electronic notification of the retail producttransaction is broadcast during a previously announced time period andat a random or preset time within the time period that is unknown to theusers from which the requests are received. The server computer mayreceive, from the personal computing device of a user, data indicatingthat the user completed a predefined activity; in response, the user isadvanced to an improved position forward in the virtual line based onthe received activity data. The number of users added to a virtual linemay be generated by a random number generator (RNG). Moreover,determining which users receive the retail products and cryptographicdigital asset includes selecting each user from preset positions in thevirtual line (e.g., first 100 users selected to receive retail product,second 100 users selected to receive cryptographic digital asset).

For any of the disclosed systems, methods, digital assets, and retailproducts, a distinct cryptographic digital asset may be generated foreach retail product. For each user selected to receive a retail product,the system tracks a time of custody between the transfer of theproduct’s cryptographic digital asset to a first digital wallet of afirst user and a subsequent transfer of the product’s cryptographicdigital asset to a third-party digital wallet of a third user. It isthen determined if the time of custody is below a predefined minimumhold time for that cryptographic digital asset; if so, a scalpingnotification stored in cache memory and/or is output to the manufacturerof the product. A smart contract may be generated to authenticateownership of, and to track future transaction of, the cryptographicdigital asset associated with the retail product. A cryptographicdigital asset may include genotype data representative of an appearancetrait of a digital retail product, such as a digital shoe or a digitalarticle of apparel. As a further option, each received request toparticipate in the future retail product transaction may include a quickreference (QR) code acquired by the user from, for example, a ticket toan event at a designated venue, a tangible object within the designatedvenue, or a merchandise receipt generated within the designated venue.

The above summary does not represent every embodiment and every aspectof this disclosure. Rather, the foregoing summary merely provides anexemplification of some of the concepts and features set forth herein.The above features and advantages, and other features and attendantadvantages of the disclosure, will be readily apparent from thefollowing detailed description of illustrated examples andrepresentative modes for carrying out the present disclosure when takenin connection with the accompanying drawings and the appended claims.Moreover, this disclosure expressly includes any and all combinationsand subcombinations of the features presented above and below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a lateral-side, perspective-view illustration of arepresentative article of footwear with a collectible digital assetprotected by a cryptographic token that is secured by a blockchainledger in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic illustration of a representative decentralizedcomputing system for generating, intermingling, and exchangingcryptographic digital assets in accordance with aspects of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic illustration of the functional structure of adecentralized computing system for securing, intermingling, andexchanging cryptographic digital assets in accordance with aspects ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a representative workflow algorithmfor generating collectible digital shoes protected by cryptographictokens on a blockchain ledger, which may correspond to memory-storedinstructions executed by control-logic circuitry, programmableelectronic control unit, or other computer-based device or network ofdevices in accord with aspects of the disclosed concepts.

FIG. 5 is an illustration of a representative graphical user interface(GUI) of a personal computing device illustrating a library ofcryptographic digital assets.

FIG. 6 is an illustration of a representative GUI of a personalcomputing device illustrating a collaboration or breeding event betweentwo cryptographic digital assets.

FIG. 7 is a functional illustration of the acquisition of acryptographic digital asset via a linked retail product.

FIG. 8 is a functional illustration of the acquisition of acryptographic digital asset via a promotional giveaway at an event.

FIG. 9 is an illustration of a representative GUI of a personalcomputing device illustrating the use of genotypic and phenotypiccharacteristics of a cryptographic digital asset within a video game.

FIG. 10 is a functional illustration of a representative GUI of apersonal computing device operating on a decentralized computing systemfor provisioning virtual user interactions that alter genotypic andphenotypic characteristics of a cryptographic digital asset inaccordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 11 is a functional illustration of a plurality of users engaged ina collaborative experience such as participating in a digitalcollectable card game.

FIG. 12 is a diagrammatic illustration of another representativedecentralized computing system for provisioning cryptographic digitalassets during transaction of retail products in accordance with aspectsof the present disclosure.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a representative algorithm forprovisioning cryptographic digital assets associated with transfers ofretail products, which may correspond to memory-stored instructionsexecuted by control-logic circuitry, programmable electronic controlunit, or other computer-based device or network of devices in accordwith aspects of the disclosed concepts.

The present disclosure is amenable to various modifications andalternative forms, and some representative embodiments are shown by wayof example in the drawings and will be described in detail herein. Itshould be understood, however, that the novel aspects of this disclosureare not limited to the particular forms illustrated in theabove-enumerated drawings. Rather, the disclosure is to cover allmodifications, equivalents, combinations, subcombinations, permutations,groupings, and alternatives falling within the scope of this disclosureas encompassed by the appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

This disclosure is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms.Representative examples of the disclosure are shown in the drawings andwill be described in detail herein with the understanding that theserepresentative examples are provided as an exemplification of thedisclosed principles, not limitations of the broad aspects of thedisclosure. To that extent, elements and limitations that are describedin the Abstract, Technical Field, Background, Summary, and DetailedDescription sections, but not explicitly set forth in the claims, shouldnot be incorporated into the claims, singly or collectively, byimplication, inference or otherwise.

For purposes of the present detailed description, unless specificallydisclaimed: the singular includes the plural and vice versa; the words“and” and “or” shall be both conjunctive and disjunctive; the words“any” and “all” shall both mean “any and all”; and the words“including,” “comprising,” “having,” “containing,” and the like shalleach mean “including without limitation.” Moreover, words ofapproximation, such as “about,” “almost,” “substantially,”“approximately,” and the like, may be used herein in the sense of “at,near, or nearly at,” or “within 0-5% of,” or “within acceptablemanufacturing tolerances,” or any logical combination thereof, forexample. Lastly, directional adjectives and adverbs, such as fore, aft,medial, lateral, proximal, distal, vertical, horizontal, front, back,left, right, etc., may be with respect to an article of footwear whenworn on a user’s foot and operatively oriented with a ground-engagingportion of the sole structure seated on a flat surface, for example.

Aspects of this disclosure are directed to computer-generateddigital/virtual collectibles, such as digital shoes (e.g., “CryptoKicks”or “CK”), that, in some instances, the digital asset may be securedand/or uniquely identified by a cryptographic token and may be linkedand/or distributed with real-world, physical products, such as tangibleshoes. In other embodiments, instead of being linked or distributed withreal-world, physical products, the digital asset may be linked ordistributed with a 2D or 3D design file such as a CAD model, graphicalrendering, image, or drawing package from which a physical product maybe constructed or otherwise represented.

Various digital assets may be used by a company, for example, to stayapprised of consumer trends and preferences. For instance, a company maycreate a number of product-ready designs with different traits,silhouettes, colors, and the like, and may distribute them across one ormore digital platforms as digital assets, and may then monitor thepopularity, value, demand, and/or virtual use, of different productdesigns and/or traits. In doing so, the company may gain a valuableunderstanding of the real-time demand for a product, which may behelpful when prioritizing of designs for future manufacturing.

A digital asset or attribute modifier may be created, for example, forbrand promotion purposes. For instance, a digital shoe may be created ina preset and/or controlled limited quantity and distributed as part of apromotion, event, moment, or contest. Spectators at a professionalsporting event (e.g., a home opener) may be given the right to acquireone of a limited quantity of unique digital assets, each beingseparately secured via its own cryptographic token.

As used herein, “cryptographic digital assets,” or simply “digitalassets” may refer to any computer-generated virtual object, includingdigital footwear, apparel, headgear, avatars, pets, etc., that have aunique, non-fungible tokenized code (“token”) registered on andvalidated by a blockchain platform or otherwise registered in animmutable database. Furthermore, all references to “CryptoKicks” andvariations thereof within this disclosure should be understood to beexemplary of a virtual collectible backed by a unique, non-fungibletoken or registry entry within an immutable database. It should not belimited to only footwear. All such references should be read to equallyapply to apparel (e.g., “CryptoThreads”), headgear (e.g., “CryptoLids”),and sporting equipment (e.g., “CryptoGear”), or other such objects.

A virtual object may have multiple attributes (i.e., phenotypic traits)that are at least partially derived from an encrypted alphanumericstring that may be associated with the cryptographic token. In thissense, the alphanumeric string may be akin to the genetic code of thevirtual object. (i.e., genotypic information is the underlying code/codesegments while phenotypic traits are the expression of the genotypicinformation). While the phenotypic traits may depend on the encodedgenotypic information, they may optionally depend on any one or more of:a virtual environment (e.g., virtual check-ins, situation-specificcriterion, etc.); time-dependent breeding (e.g., a user is restrictedfrom breeding a virtual shoe offspring until it reaches a presetmaturity); virtual user interactions, which may speed up or slow downmaturity or increase/decrease a likelihood of certain traits developing;real-world user activities (e.g., user’s level of physical activity mayincrease one or more “desirable” qualities; daily use of a related goodspeeds up maturing of virtual offspring, etc.); cloning restrictions setby manufacturer, point of sale, owner, etc., (e.g., preset maximumnumber of clones that can be produced from a desirable offspring foractual real-world production).

In a footwear context, each unique token may be directly linked to asingle CryptoKick object, which may be embodied as a virtualreproduction or digital-art version of a sneaker. In an example, thetoken may include a 64-bit alphanumeric code that is sectioned intoindividual code segments. One or more or all of the code segments of thealphanumeric code may express data indicative of attributes of thecollectible digital shoe. For instance, a series of code segments mayprovide digital shoe attributes, such as Style, Materials, Family, Heat,Colorway, Future Attributes, Make, Model, Pattern Scheme, ImageBackground, etc. Each subset of a code may generally function as agenotype that produces a visual phenotype expression to the user. Anoriginally created CryptoKick may include cryptographic token data thatis representative of attributes from a companion physical shoe. Duringthe creation of a CryptoKick, a smart contract may be generated toauthenticate ownership and to track future transaction of theCryptoKick. Digital shoe attributes may also be linked to a bill ofmaterials.

In a representative example, an authenticated pair of physical shoes arecreated and assigned a Unique Product Identifier (UPID). Upon purchaseby a consumer, the UPID is used to unlock a cryptographic digitalasset - a “CryptoKick” - composed of a collectible digital shoe and aunique non-fungible token (NFT) operating on a blockchain-baseddistributed computing platform.

In general, before a consumer can unlock or acquire a CryptoKick, theymay first be required to procure a blockchain locker address (e.g., anEthereum hardware wallet). This blockchain locker may be used to storethe private key belonging to the CryptoKick’s NFT and, optionally, maybe linked to a personal user account that is registered with theoriginal manufacturer of the physical shoes (e.g., a NIKEPLUS® accountprofile).

It is envisioned that there are several ways in which a user may beenabled to unlock a CryptoKick. As a first example, upon scanning theshoe’s UPC or UPID at a point-of-sale (POS) terminal during firstpurchase or directly associated with the product, a unique crypto-tokenand corresponding private key (“KickID”) are automatically generated andassigned to the user’s blockchain locker (see FIG. 7 ). In a secondexample, a KickID is provided to the user via a printed or digitalreceipt, a visual or electronic tag (RFID or NFC) hidden in the physicalshoe, a pop-up message or email sent to a personal user account, a pushnotification or text message sent to a smartphone, or some other record;the consumer uses the KickID to link the CryptoKick to their digitalblockchain locker. Another example may require the user to assemble theKickID in part via a physical code or UPID associated with the shoe (onthe box, on a hang tag, under a label, on an insole, etc.), and in partvia a transaction authentication code (i.e., to prevent consumers fromcollecting a CryptoKick when they merely try on a pair of shoes).Another example may require the user to “hunt” for CryptoKicks in abrick-and-mortar store by using a photographic “snap” or augmentedreality (“AR”) function on a handheld personal computing device. Forthis method, a KickID may be provided via the validated transaction,however, the user must separately find a hidden CryptoKick in AR hiddenwithin the store or local area before the digital asset can betransferred to their locker (i.e., the cryptographic key and the virtualobject must both be separately acquired before the transfer occurs). Inthis example, obtaining the cryptographic key may enable the AR engineassociated with a user device to initiate a game where theCryptoKick/virtual object associated with that key is locally hidden andavailable for the user to locate.

In some instances, the CryptoKick may not be originally linked to aphysical product, but instead may be gifted to the user as part of abrand promotion campaign, event, moment, or experience. In one example,such as generally illustrated in FIG. 8 , a user at a sporting event maybe prompted to hunt for the CryptoKick within the confines of the eventusing a digital camera on a smartphone device. In this example, the GPSassociated with the smartphone device may further constrain opticalrecognition capabilities to within a particular geofenced area. Once theCryptoKick is located (e.g., virtually disguised in a billboardadvertisement), the user may be prompted to scan a unique code, such asthe barcode on their ticket to the event. This two-part action may thentransfer a token uniquely provisioned for that ticket to the user’slocker.

Following the event, the promotion organizer may reclaim any unclaimedKickIDs for subsequent use in other promotional events. In still otherapplications, a user may unlock a KickID upon the receipt of a digitaldesign file or image. For example, in an online promotion, certain usersmay be selected (in an ordered or random manner) to receive an image,design file, or graphical rendering. A predetermined number of “winningimages” may be displayed and/or transferred to a user’s computing devicefor subsequent display, where each is associated with a different andunique KickID that may be used to facilitate the transfer of theCryptoKick to a private locked associated with the user. A “winningimage” may represent, for example, the purchase or successful agreementto purchase a particular physical or digital object. In otherembodiments, the “winning image” may simply be a hidden or masked imagedwithin an online brand promotion page that requires user interaction tounmask.

After acquiring a CryptoKick, the owner may buy, sell, intermingle,collect, or trade CryptoKicks, e.g., using physical, fiat, and/ordigital currency. In some examples, an entity may maintain a digitalonline marketplace that includes an inventory of CryptoKicks for saleand/or a marketplace that may broker transactions between individuals.

It may also be possible to breed or mashup (“Collab”) two CryptoKicks tocreate an offspring CryptoKick (an “RVK” or “CollaboKick”). ThisCollaboKick will have a unique token and distinct attributes compared tothe parent CryptoKicks. A Collab may combine attribute data and/orgenetic code from the two tokens of the parents to generate a new NFT orKickID that, in turn, provisions a CollaboKick. In some implementations,there may be a preestablished limitation on the total number of Collabevents within a given time limit, e.g., to help prevent overproductionof CollaboKicks between the same two users. The creation of the geneticcode for a CollaboKick may be random, systematic, regulated,unconstrained, or any combination thereof. One or more code subsets, forexample, may be based on controlled probability using Mendel’s Law. Forexample, if a first attribute code (e.g., molding heat) is expressed astwo genes (e.g., HH, Hh or hh), a CollaboKick is considered to have“high heat” if it has two genes that are “hh” (recessive trait). Inother words, if genotype data contained in the KickIDs of the CryptoKickparents have Hh as their “heat genes,” the offspring CollaboKick willhave a 25% chance of getting a high heat gene, e.g., using the Punnettsquare methodology.

The option to execute a Collab event may require one or both ownerscomply with one or more prerequisite conditions. As one example, the twoowners of the parent CryptoKicks may be required to meet at a designatedlocation or be within a predetermined proximity of one another to createa CollaboKick. For example, a user may employ a “CryptoKick Collab”matching feature on a dedicated mobile software application (“app”) tofind another user to Collab with. Using this app, the parties may set atime and place to meet, set the conditions of the Collab, submit aformal request to a governing middleware computing node, etc. Anotherexample may include a footwear manufacturer or a third-party sponsorhosting a Collab event at which CryptoKick owners meet at a designatedlocation to Collab with one another within a specific time frame.

Owners may be provided some indication of the genetic traits of theirCryptoKicks to facilitate more deliberate Collab events. In an example,a user may desire a CryptoKick of a particular model in a certainexclusive color. That user may then search out a CryptoKick that has thegenetic code for that color and attempt to Collab with them. To furtherthe understanding of a trait’s value, for example, the user may beprovided with an indication of the rarity or total circulating supply ofeach trait that makes up their CryptoKick and/or a rarity score thatprovides an indication of the overall exclusivity of their CryptoKick.In this manner, if offered for sale on a commercial marketplace, aCryptoKick may carry an intrinsic value that reflects the combinedrarity or exclusivity of its various traits.

A predetermined set of intermingling rules may govern if and how aCollab may be executed. For example, certain constraints may be imposedso that broad style guidelines are maintained in the CollaboKick. In anexample, these style constrains may be the same constraints orguidelines that a company may use when creating new versions, colorways,or iterations of an existing product line. When a Collab is created, thegenetic mixing algorithm may be constrained such that any resultantCollab kick maintains a likeness or silhouette that is indicative of ormore existing products. While in an example, these style guidelines orrules may expressly set by the company, in another embodiment, they maybe discovered and assembled, for example, using an image-basedprocessing algorithm that may recognize style attributes (e.g., colorpatterns, material, cut, and/or dimensional patterns) from existingproduct.

For at least some implementations, a CryptoKick may be programmed tofunction as a “living” digital pet that the user feeds, cleans,entertains and otherwise cares for to ensure the pet is happy andhealthy. Optionally, an owner can either care for the CryptoKick pet byhim/herself or have a third-party user care for the CryptoKick pet. Asthe CryptoKick pet evolves - growing from a baby digital pet to atoddler, then preschooler, and so forth to adulthood - one or moreattributes of the CryptoKick automatically change with age or areunlocked over time. Furthermore, as the CryptoKick pet “grows” throughvarious life stages, it may unlock a real-life shoe version of itselfthat a user can have made. For example, if a CryptoKick pet has evolvedinto a royal blue athletic shoe for a toddler, the user has unlocked theoption to buy a special royal blue athletic shoe in one or more toddlersizes.

In some implementations, a user’s CryptoKick may be capable of beingimported into one or more other digital platforms to serve, for example,as a skin on a video game character that may be developed and/orcontrolled by the user. For example, if the user was active in a certainbasketball video game, the CryptoKick could be imported to that game andworn by the user’s player or team.

If the CryptoKick is imported into a separate video game, in someconfigurations, different attributes of the CryptoKick may impartchanges in the ability level of a user’s character outfitted with theasset. In one example, the attributes of the user’s character may bepositively influenced by the rarity or exclusivity of the variousattributes or by the overall combined rarity or exclusivity of theasset. For example, a rare CryptoKick may impart better jumping abilityor lateral quickness, a rare CryptoThread may impart better strength orspeed, and a rare CryptoLid may impart better vision.

CryptoKicks users may optionally decide on a “best CollaboKick” in themarketplace, e.g., on a W/M/Q/Y basis. Such a voting scheme may be usedto designate one or more CollaboKicks as suitable for the commercialproduction of physical product bearing that digital asset’s likeness. Asa further option, a CollaboKick that may receive a preset thresholdnumber of “upvotes” that may automatically trigger the manufacturer toproduce the CollaboKick in real life.

As CryptoKicks and CollaboKicks are transferred between users over timedue to selling, trading, buying, and Collab, each transaction historymay be tracked within a blockchain ledger of transactions. If aCollaboKick or CryptoKick is fabricated, previous users may be notifiedof such real-life existence and will may be given an option to purchasetheir own real-life pair of the CollaboKick/CryptoKick.

As a further extension, in an example, CryptoKicks may be backed byfungible tokens, where the digital collectible represents a monetaryvalue. In one implementation, certain attributes within the codeassigned to the token may dictate the worth. For example, a styleattribute indicative of a high-top sneaker, may have a first value, astyle attribute indicative of yoga pants may have a second value, and astyle attribute indicative of a running shirt may have a third value. Inan example, these values may either be allowed to float according tomarket forces, or may be tied to a fiat currency.

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numbers refer tolike features throughout the several views, there is shown in FIG. 1 arepresentative article of footwear, which is designated generally at 10and portrayed herein for purposes of discussion as an athletic shoe or“sneaker.” The illustrated article of footwear 10 - also referred toherein as “footwear” or “shoe” for brevity - is merely an exemplaryapplication with which novel aspects and features of this disclosure maybe practiced. In an example, the illustrated article of footwear 10 maybe or resemble a CryptoKick. In the same vein, implementation of thepresent concepts for a digital shoe and cryptographic token for footwearshould also be appreciated as a representative implementation of thedisclosed concepts. It will therefore be understood that aspects andfeatures of this disclosure may be utilized for other types of footwear,and may be incorporated into any logically relevant consumer product. Asused herein, the terms “shoe” and “footwear,” including permutationsthereof, may be used interchangeably and synonymously to reference anysuitable type of garment worn on a human foot. Lastly, featurespresented in the drawings are not necessarily to scale and are providedpurely for instructional purposes. Thus, the specific and relativedimensions shown in the drawings are not to be construed as limiting.

The representative article of footwear 10 is generally depicted in FIG.1 as a bipartite construction that is primarily composed of afoot-receiving upper 12 mounted on top of a subjacent sole structure 14.While only a single shoe 10 for a left foot of a user is shown in FIG. 1, a mirrored, substantially identical counterpart for a right foot of auser may be provided. Recognizably, the shape, size, materialcomposition, and method of manufacture of the shoe 10 may be varied,singly or collectively, to accommodate practically any conventional ornonconventional footwear application.

With continued reference to FIG. 1 , the upper 12 is depicted as havinga shell-like, closed toe and heel configuration for encasing a humanfoot. Upper 12 of FIG. 1 is generally defined by three adjoiningsections, namely a toe box 12A, a vamp 12B and a rear quarter 12C. Thetoe box 12A is shown as a rounded forward tip of the upper 12 thatextends from distal to proximal phalanges to cover and protect theuser’s toes. By comparison, the vamp 12B is an arched midsection of theupper 12 that is located aft of the toe box 12A and extends from themetatarsals to the cuboid. As shown, the vamp 12B also provides a seriesof lace eyelets 16 and a shoe tongue 18. Positioned aft of the vamp 12Bis a rear quarter 12C that extends from the transverse tarsal joint tothe calcaneus bone, and includes the rear portions of the upper 12.While portrayed in the drawings as comprising three primary segments,the upper 12 may be fabricated as a single-piece construction or may becomposed of any number of segments, including a toe cap, heel cap, anklecuff, interior liner, etc. For sandal and slipper applications, theupper 12 may take on an open toe or open heel configuration, or may bereplaced with a single strap or multiple interconnected straps.

The upper 12 portion of the footwear 10 may be fabricated from any oneor combination of a variety of materials, such as textiles, engineeredfoams, polymers, natural and synthetic leathers, etc. Individualsegments of the upper 12, once cut to shape and size, may be stitched,adhesively bonded, fastened, welded or otherwise joined together to forman interior void for comfortably receiving a foot. The individualmaterial elements of the upper 12 may be selected and located withrespect to the footwear 10 in order to impart desired properties ofdurability, air-permeability, wear-resistance, flexibility, appearance,and comfort, for example. An ankle opening 15 in the rear quarter 12C ofthe upper 12 provides access to the interior of the shoe 10. A shoelace20, strap, buckle, or other conventional mechanism may be utilized tomodify the girth of the upper 12 to more securely retain the foot withinthe interior of the shoe 10 as well as to facilitate entry and removalof the foot from the upper 12. Shoelace 20 may be threaded through aseries of eyelets 16 in or attached to the upper 12; the tongue 18 mayextend between the lace 20 and the interior void of the upper 12.

Sole structure 14 is rigidly secured to the upper 12 such that the solestructure 14 extends between the upper 12 and a support surface uponwhich a user would stand. The sole structure 14 may be fabricated as asandwich structure with a top-most insole 22, an intermediate midsole24, and a bottom-most outsole 26 or outsole surface. Alternative soleconfigurations may be fabricated with greater or fewer than threelayers. Insole 22 is shown located partially within the interior void ofthe footwear 10, operatively attached at a lower portion of the upper12, such that the insole 22 abuts a plantar surface of the foot.Underneath the insole 22 is a midsole 24 that incorporates one or morematerials or embedded elements that enhance the comfort, performance,and/or ground-reaction-force attenuation properties of footwear 10.These elements and materials may include, individually or in anycombination, a polymer foam material, such as polyurethane orethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA), filler materials, moderators, air-filledbladders, plates, lasting elements, or motion control members. Outsole26 is located underneath the midsole 24, defining some or all of thebottom-most, ground-engaging portion of the footwear 10. The outsole 26may be formed from a natural or synthetic rubber material that providesa durable and wear-resistant surface for contacting the ground. Inaddition, the outsole 26 may be contoured and textured to enhance thetraction (i.e., friction) properties between footwear 10 and theunderlying support surface.

As a general matter, each element, panel, section, and material of thearticle of footwear 10 shown in FIG. 1 may be separately rendered ordefined in a digital CryptoKick. Furthermore, these attributes maysimilarly be reflected within the genetic code of the NFT, as discussedabove.

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic illustration of an exemplary decentralizedcomputing system, designated generally as 30, with attendant blockchaincontrol logic for mining, intermingling, and exchangingblockchain-enabled digital collectibles. User 11 communicatively couplesto a remote host system 34 and/or a cloud computing system 36 via awireless communications network 38. While illustrating a single user 11communicating over the decentralized computing system 30 with a singlehost system 34 and a single cloud computing system 36, it is envisionedthat any number of users may communicate with any number of remotecomputing nodes that are suitably equipped for wirelessly exchanginginformation and data. Wireless data exchanges between the user 11 andremote computing nodes on the decentralized computing system 30 may beconducted directly, e.g., through direct communications between the hostsystem 34/ cloud computing system 36 and a user device 39 (e.g., theuser’s smartphone 40, smartwatch 42, or other suitable personalcomputing device), or indirectly, e.g., with all communications betweenthe user 11 and other computing nodes being routed through the hostsystem 34.

Only select components of the decentralized computing 10 anddecentralized computing system 30 are shown and will be described indetail herein. Nevertheless, the systems and devices discussed hereincan include numerous additional and alternative features, and otheravailable hardware and well-known peripheral components, for example,for carrying out the various methods and functions disclosed herein.While the described system relies on a blockchain ledger and process forrecording ownership of the digital asset, it should be understood thatthe present technology may operate on a public chain or a private chain,and may utilize one or more forms of cryptography, encoding, proof ofwork challenges, or other concepts and technologies involved inavailable blockchain standards or suitable alternative immutabledatabases/ledgers.

With continuing reference to FIG. 2 , the host system 34 may beimplemented as a high-speed server computer or a mainframe computingdevice capable of handling bulk data processing, resource planning, andtransaction processing. For instance, the host system 34 may operate asmiddleware in a client-server interface for conducting any necessarydata exchanges and communications with one or more “third party” serversto complete a particular transaction. The cloud computing system 36, onthe other hand, may operate as middleware for IoT (Internet of Things),WoT (Web of Things), Internet of Adaptive Apparel and Footwear (IoAAF),and/or M2M (machine-to-machine) services, connecting an assortment ofheterogeneous electronic devices with a service-oriented architecture(SOA) via a data network. As an example, cloud computing system 36 maybe implemented as a middleware node to provide different functions fordynamically onboarding heterogeneous devices, multiplexing data fromeach of these devices, and routing the data through reconfigurableprocessing logic for processing and transmission to one or moredestination applications. Network 38 may be any available type ofnetwork, including a combination of public distributed computingnetworks (e.g., Internet) and secured private networks (e.g., local areanetwork, wide area network, virtual private network). It may alsoinclude wireless and wireline transmission systems (e.g., satellite,cellular network, terrestrial networks, etc.). Most if not all datatransaction functions carried out by the user 11 may be conducted, forexample, over a wireless network, such as a wireless local area network(WLAN) or cellular data network.

As a decentralized blockchain platform, computing system 30 operates asan open, yet encrypted peer-to-peer network in which asset transactionrecords - known as “blocks” - are linked via cryptographic hashfunctions in a distributed, immutable ledger of interconnected blocks,i.e., a “blockchain.” Each block in the chain includes one or moredigital asset transactions accompanied by corroboration informationrepresenting a validity of each transaction as assessed bypeer-validation devices. Encrypted, decentralized computingarchitectures allow for identity verification and authentication oftransacted assets while preventing duplication of acryptography-protected (“cryptographic”) digital asset registered to theplatform. Decentralized asset management may work by encrypting aproprietary asset file, breaking the encrypted code into tiny “nonsense”shards, and sending these shards to numerous different computing nodeson the decentralized computing network. A validated owner is providedwith a private key that indicates where in the network the asset islocated and how to reassemble or “decrypt” the file. For use as adistributed ledger, an individual blockchain is typically managed by ahost administrator and distributed to multiple peers collectivelyadhering to a protocol for inter-node communication and blockvalidation.

One should appreciate that the disclosed systems and techniques providemany advantageous technical effects including construction and storageof a digital asset blockchain representing user-to-user transactions ofvirtual collectibles. Further the blockchain technology enables thecreation of unique, yet fully transferrable digital assets that maintainvalue by way of the general inability to make lossless copies (unliketraditional, unsecured digital files).

FIG. 3 provides one example of the functional structure of adecentralized computing system 30, such as shown in FIG. 2 . Asgenerally illustrated, a user 11 may operatively interface with a userdevice 39 (i.e., interface device 39) that may include one or more of asmartphone 40, a tablet computer, a smart watch 42, a laptop computer, adesktop computer, a standalone video game console, smartfootwear/apparel, or other similar internet enabled devices. Theinterface device 39 may be operatively configured to communicate withone or more of an immutable public database (e.g., a blockchainservice/network 60 - referred to as “blockchain 60”), a virtual objectgenerator 62, an online digital marketplace 64, and/or a 3^(rd) partyintegration service 66.

In general, the blockchain 60 may include at least one non-fungibletoken registered thereon that includes genomic informationrepresentative of a digital asset. The user 11, via the user device 39,may be in possession of, or may be lined with a locker/wallet thatincludes a private cryptographic key that permits the user device toread the encrypted data associated with the token. This key may furtherenable the user 11 to freely transfer ownership of the token.

In an example, a virtual object generator 62 may be provided to create adigital object on the basis of the genomic information associated withthe token. More specifically, the virtual object generator 62 may beresponsible for expressing the genomic information into a plurality ofphenotypic traits. The virtual object generator 62 may employ aplurality of style and artistic rules such that the resultant digitalobjects are unique, yet recognizable according to predefinedsilhouettes, styles, articles, or characters. A virtual object generator62 may optionally operate on the basis of other non-genomic factors,such as the age of the asset, user activity (tracked via the userdevice), or use via third party platforms. In such an embodiment, thesenon-genomic inputs may alter the phenotypic expression, and/or mayunlock new abilities, breeding rights, and/or production rights. Forexample, in one configuration, a color of a CryptoKick may depend on thegenetically assigned color, together with the age of the asset and/oruse of the asset in a virtual world or via a linked pair of physicalshoes in the real world. The initial color together with theage/experience based alteration may result in a new color that has itsown relative rarity score/value.

The virtual object generator 62 and/or blockchain 60 may further be incommunication with a hosted digital marketplace 64, forum, socialplatform, or the like (such as generally shown in FIG. 5 - displayed ona smartphone 40). The digital marketplace 64 may represent a pluralityof virtual objects 80 in such a manner that permits the organized tradeor sale/purchase of the virtual objects between parties. Upon theclosing of a sale, the digital marketplace 64 may update the blockchain60 with the new ownership information and facilitate the transfer of newof existing keys to the new asset holder. A marketplace 64 may furtherenable various social engagement functions, such as voting or commentingon the represented virtual objects. Likewise, in some instances themarketplace 64 may be configured to assess and score the rarity of aparticular virtual object based on the sum total of the object’sexpressed traits. Such a rarity score may then enable the marketplace(and/or users who participate within the marketplace) to better assessthe value of the object.

In one configuration, the computing system 30 may further include a3^(rd) party integration service 66 that may enable the use of thevirtual object in different contexts or manners. The 3^(rd) partyintegration service 66 may operate as an API on an app provided on theuser’s device, or as a dedicated cloud based service. The 3^(rd) partyintegration service 66 may optionally make the virtual object (forexample, as expressed by the virtual object generator 62), and/or thegenomic information available for external use. Examples of such a usemay include skins on 3^(rd) party video game characters, objects capableof being used by 3^(rd) party video game characters (see FIG. 9 ),digital artwork displays, physical print generation, manufacturingproduction, and the like. In an example, the genomic information and/orrarity score may be made available, and may alter the traits orabilities of a user’s video game character in a video game played on theuser’s device 39 (see FIG. 10 ).

As further shown in FIG. 3 , in one configuration, a corporate hostsystem 68 may be in communication with the blockchain 60 for the purposeof provisioning and/or initially creating new digital assets.Additionally, the host system 68 may provide one or more rules to thevirtual object generator 62 to constrain the manner and style in whichgenomic information from the blockchain 60 is expressed in avisual/artistic form.

With reference now to the flow chart of FIG. 4 , an improved method orcontrol strategy for generating collectible digital assets protected bycryptographic tokens on a blockchain ledger is generally described at100 in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. Some or all ofthe operations illustrated in FIG. 4 and described in further detailbelow may be representative of an algorithm that corresponds toprocessor-executable instructions that may be stored, for example, inmain or auxiliary or remote memory, and executed, for example, by aresident or remote controller, central processing unit (CPU), controllogic circuit, or other module or device or network of devices, toperform any or all of the above or below described functions associatedwith the disclosed concepts. It should be recognized that the order ofexecution of the illustrated operation blocks may be changed, additionalblocks may be added, and some of the blocks described may be modified,combined, or eliminated.

Method 100 begins at terminal block 101 with processor-executableinstructions for a programmable controller or control module orsimilarly suitable processor to call up an initialization procedure fora protocol to generate a cryptographic digital asset, such ascomputer-generated digital shoe 44 and encrypted token key 46 of FIG. 2, for a consumer product, such as sneaker 10 of FIGS. 1 and 2 . Thisroutine may be called-up and executed in real-time, continuously,systematically, sporadically, and/or at regular intervals. As arepresentative implementation of the methodology set forth in FIG. 4 ,the initialization procedure at block 101 may automatically commenceeach time a pair of authentic footwear 10 is manufactured, each time auser 11 purchases a real-world pair of the footwear 10, or each time theuser 11 unlocks the access key 46. Alternatively, the initializationprocedure may be manually activated by an employee at a POS terminal orby the manufacturer.

Utilizing a portable electronic device 39, such as smartphone 40 orsmartwatch 42 of FIG. 2 , the user 11 may launch a dedicated mobilesoftware application (“app”) or a web-based applet, such as NIKE+®, thatcollaborates with a server-class (backend or middleware) computer (e.g.,remote host system 34) to communicate with the various peer devices ondecentralized computing system 30. During a communication session withthe host system 34, for example, the user 11 may purchase a pair of thefootwear 10 using a corresponding feature provisioned by the app. Theuser 11 enters personal information and a method of payment to completethe transaction. Upon completion of a validated payment, the host system34 receives, e.g., from an online store transaction module or anapproved third-party electronic payment system, a transactionconfirmation to indicate a validated transfer of the footwear 10 to theuser 11 has been completed. As indicated above, validated transfer ofthe footwear 10 may be effectuated through any available means,including at a brick-and-mortar store, through an online auctionwebsite, an aftermarket consumer-to-consumer trade/sale, etc.

Method 100 continues to decision block 103 to determine if the user 11has procured a cryptocurrency wallet or other similarly suitable digitalblockchain locker that is operable, for example, to upload and maintainlocation and retrieval information for digital assets that are encryptedand stored in a decentralized manner. A cryptocurrency wallet typicallystores public and private key pairs, but does not store thecryptocurrency itself; the cryptocurrency is “decentrally” stored andmaintained in a publicly available blockchain ledger. With the storedkeys, the owner may digitally sign a transaction and write it to theblockchain ledger. A platform-dictated smart contract associated withthe locker may facilitate transfer of stored assets and create averifiable audit trail of the same. If the user 11 has not alreadyacquired a digital blockchain locker (Block 103 = NO), the method 100continues to predefined process block 105 to set up a blockchain locker.By way of non-limiting example, user 11 may be prompted to visit or maybe automatically routed to any of an assortment of publicly availablewebsites that offer a hardware wallet for cold storage of cryptocurrencyand digital assets, such as an ERC20-compatible Ethereum wallet providedby MYETHERWALLET™.

Once the system confirms that the user 11 has a suitable digitalblockchain locker, the method 100 may automatically link, or prompt theuser 11 to link, the digital blockchain locker to a personal useraccount (e.g., a NIKEPLUS® account profile), as portrayed at processblock 107 of FIG. 4 . This may require the remote host system 34retrieve a unique owner ID code (e.g., CryptoKick Owner ID 48 of FIG. 2) associated with the purchasing party (e.g., user 11) from an encryptedrelational database (e.g., provisioned through cloud computing system36). At this time, a unique physical shoe ID code (CryptoKick PhysicalID 50 of FIG. 2 ) associated with the purchased footwear 10 may belinked to the user’s personal account.

Upon determining that the user 11 has acquired a digital blockchainlocker (Block 103 = YES), or after linking the user’s blockchain lockerto their personal user account (Block 107), the method 100 continues toinput/output block 109 to enable or “unlock” a cryptographic digitalasset associated with the footwear 10 transacted at process block 101.As indicated above, after purchasing the footwear 10, the CryptoKickPhysical ID or a universally recognized UPID product code may be used toretrieve a collectible CryptoKick, which is generally composed of acollectible digital shoe 44 and a unique NFT that is identified by anencrypted token key 46. A salesperson at a POS terminal or the user 11employing their smartphone 40 may scan the UPID or UPC on the shoe 10 ora box storing therein the shoe 10. Alternatively, the user 11 may beprompted to carry out a “treasure hunt” using a digital camera on theirsmartphone to scan various UPIDs throughout a brick-and-mortar storeuntil they scan one that is linked to a KickID. Enabling a cryptographicdigital asset may be automatic, random, systematic, prize based, or anylogically appropriate manner.

After receiving confirmation that a cryptographic digital asset has beenauthorized at input/output block 109, the method 100 generates acryptographic digital asset for the transacted article of footwear. Thismay comprise generating a unique, encrypted asset code with an address,a token, and a public and private key pair, as denoted at predefinedprocess block 111. Host system 34 may transmit the token, with thepublic key and the owner ID, to a distributed blockchain ledger torecord and peer-validate transfer of the cryptographic digital asset tothe user 11 on a transaction block. The method 100 continues to processblock 113 to link the cryptographic digital asset with the unique ownerID code. This control logic may comprise executable instructions forassigning the encrypted asset code to the user 11 and storing the publicand private keys in the user’s digital blockchain locker.

With continuing reference to FIG. 4 , the method 100 proceeds to processblock 115 to produce the virtual representation or “digital art” of thecryptographic digital asset. Continuing with the footwear example ofFIG. 2 , the virtual representation may include a computer-generatedavatar of the shoe 10 or a limited-edition artist rendition of the shoe10. It is also envisioned that one or more attributes of the virtualrepresentation of the cryptographic digital asset may be created, inwhole or in part, via the user 11. A machine learning function may beexecuted at predefined process block 117 in order to generate imagefeatures through a neural network. Upon completion of the digital art,the image may be uploaded to cloud computing system 36 at block 119. Inaddition, optional process block 121 may issue a digital notification,such as an email or push notification, to the user’s smartphone 40,smartwatch 42, or other personal computing device, with all relatedinformation for accessing, transferring, and intermingling thecryptographic digital asset. The remote host system 34 may operate as aweb server hosting a web-based graphical user interface (GUI) that isoperable to translate the data stored in the encryption keys into avisual image that is displayed to the user 11 at optional process block123. Digital asset manipulation and use may also be effectuated throughthe user’s digital blockchain locker. This may comprise posting thecryptographic digital asset to an online crypto-collectible marketplacefor sale or breeding, as provided in optional process block 125.

Prospective and current owners of a cryptographic digital asset, such asthe CryptoKick of FIG. 2 , may buy and sell digital assets through oneor more blockchain ledgers operating on the decentralized computingsystem 30. By way of example, and not limitation, a user may buy a newpair of highly sought after sneakers from a verified vendor who mayprovide authenticated provenance records for the sneakers. While thesneakers are in transit, the user may receive an email notification withdetailed instructions for unlocking a CryptoKick once the shipmentarrives. After receiving the shoe box containing the purchased sneakers,the user scans the box UPC with a barcode scan feature in a sneakers appoperating on the user’s smartphone. In the sneakers app, a new profilepage is responsively enabled; the sneakers app opens the new profilepage. For at least some applications, the new profile page is linkedwith, exported to, or initially enabled in the user’s personal(NIKEPLUS®) account profile. Private and public blockchain platform keysare generated, genotype and phenotype data are created, this data isembedded in segments of the public key’s alphanumeric code, and thevirtual representation of the CryptoKick is engendered. The CryptoKick’sblockchain data, token, etc., are assigned to the user’s new address;the new profile page lists the CryptoKick the user has acquired.

A user may wish to lease, license, or assign his/her new CryptoKick toany of one or more prospective buyers. In one example, a seller (alsoreferred to herein as “transferor” or “first party”) offers to sell, anda buyer (also referred to herein as “transferee” or “second party”)agrees to buy a CryptoKick for an agreed-upon sum (e.g., three (3) ETH).The buyer may be interested in making such a purchase as the availableCryptoKick has one or more attributes (e.g., artist, body type,colorway, etc.) the buyer is looking to add to a collection. The sellermay initiate the sale process by marking a specific CryptoKick in thesneaker app as “For Sale” via a corresponding soft-key “auction” button.Sally may set a minimum bid and/or a buy now price, and provide anauction time window of a selected number of hours, days, weeks, etc. Thesneaker app may present the seller with a share modal in which he/shecan either share the auction via usual social media, or present aquick-response (QR) code for a potential buyer to scan. The buyer maythen scan the QR code using a smartphone digital camera throughoperation of a scan feature in the sneaker app, and transmit therequisite funds (e.g., 3 ETH) to the auction site. The seller’s sneakersapp notifies him/her of the payment; the seller is prompted to agree toa terms of sale and finalize the transaction. The CryptoKick is thentransferred from the first party to the address of the second party.

Owners of cryptographic digital assets may wish to intermingle or“breed” their digital assets with other digital assets to create asset“offspring,” such as schematically shown in FIG. 6 . A first digitalasset owner and a second digital asset owner may wish to collaborate andcrossbreed their digital assets 82, 84 in order to create a newcryptographic digital asset. The first owner may be set as a “primaryartist” if his/her digital asset has attributes desired by the secondowner. In this instance, the second owner may initiate a smart contractwith the first owner to collaborate. One or both parties may fund thecontract with physical or digital currency, e.g., to pay for thetransfer, a “collab fee” set by the breeding host site, and an optionalsiring fee for the second owner’s siring services. Once both partiesagree to and sign the breeding contract, one or both parties may beprompted to select one or more traits from their “parent” digital assetto transfer to the resultant “progeny” digital asset. Alternatively, thebreeding host site may employ a breeding algorithm to build a newdigital asset from two or more preexisting digital assets.

A “CollabScience” Algorithm may be employed to determine whichcontributing cryptographic digital asset will be designated as the sire,determine which contributing cryptographic digital asset will bedesignated as the dam, and determine which code subsets from each parentasset will be employed to build the cryptographic token key for theresultant digital asset. For example, the token keys for the two parentdigital assets, DA1 and DA2, may appear as:

-   DA1:    4352635657387611432650689898388672080892866850020829309339781214-   DA2:    1997670191981520482540801616208235668515393854245661572126051434

The CollabScience algorithm may use a random number generator (RNG) orother applicable means to generate a random number, e.g., between 0 and65535. In accord with this example, the random number may be 21123. Oncegenerated, the CollabScience algorithm may convert the resultant number21123 to a binary code: 0101001010000011. Concomitantly, with the firstnumber in the binary code being zero (0), the first parent digital assetDA1 is designated as the sire and corresponds to all zeros in thestring; with the first parent digital asset DA1 being designated as thesire, the second parent digital asset DA2 is automatically designated asthe dam and corresponds to all ones in the string.

Continuing with the above example, the CollabScience algorithm segmentsthe parent token keys into multi-digit code subsets or “chunks”; in thisexample, each parent token key is broken into sixteen (16) 4-digit codesubsets:

-   Segmented DA1: [‘4352’, ‘6356’, ‘5738’, ‘7611’, ‘4326’, ‘5068’,    ‘9898’, ‘3886’, ‘7208’, ‘0892’, ‘8668’, ‘5002’, ‘0829’, ‘3093’,    ‘3978’, ‘1214’]-   Segmented DA2: +[‘1997’, ‘6701’, ‘9198’, ‘1520’, ‘4825’, ‘4080’,    ‘1616’, ‘2082’, ‘3566’, ‘8515’, ‘3938’, ‘5424’, ‘5661’, ‘5721’,    ‘2605’, ‘1434’]

The CollabScience algorithm then builds a new token ID for the resultant“progeny” digital asset based on the digits in the random number, withthe sixteen chunks of the child token key being sequentially assigned aone or a zero based on the binary code of the above-generated randomnumber. From this example, the first number in the binary code versionof the random number is zero; the first parent digital asset DA1 is thedesignated sire, which corresponds to zero; as a result, the first chunkin the child token key will be copied from the first chunk of the sireand is, thus, set to 4352. Next, the second number in the binary codeversion of the random number is one; the second parent digital asset DA2is the designated dam, which corresponds to one; as a result, the secondchunk in the child token key will be copied from the second chunk of thedam and is, thus, set to 6701, and so on and so forth until all sixteenchunks in the child token key are filled with corresponding chunks fromthe parent token keys. The resultant new array for the child digitalasset DA3 will therefore look like:

Segmented DA3: + [‘4352’, ‘6701’, ‘5738’, ‘1520’, ‘4326’, ‘5068’,‘1616’, ‘3886’, ‘3566’, ‘0892’, ‘8668’, ‘5002’, ‘0829’, ‘3093’, ‘2605’,‘1434’]

The CollabScience algorithm produces the new token key ID from the arrayas:

     4352670157381520432650681616388635660892866850020829309326051434

The CollabScience algorithm then processes the cryptographic digitalasset, produces the virtual representation of the new asset, and assignsthe asset to the buyer’s digital blockchain locker.

It is envisioned that other techniques may be employed to determine theattributes of a progeny digital asset. For instance, a Punnett Squaremay be implemented to express the dominant and recessive traits(“genes”) from the two parent digital assets, and create probabilitiesof a trait expression in an offspring digital asset. A Punnett Square isa graphical mechanism used to calculate a mathematical probability of achild asset inheriting a specific trait from two parent assets. Theresultant array is provided by arranging the genotypes of one parentacross the top of a table and that of the other parent down one side todiscover all of the potential combinations of genotypes that can occurin a child given the genotypes of the parents. As seen in FIG. 2 , thegenotype and phenotype information contained in encrypted token key 46includes the digital shoe’s: breeding attributes (“collab”), materialsinformation, make data (“family”), manufacturing requirements (“heat”),color combination (“colorway”), future attributes, model data, and imagebackground information.

Epigenetic factors may result in heritable phenotype changes that do notinvolve alterations in an underlying DNA sequence. In some instances,genotypic changes in an encrypted token key may be caused by real worldand/or virtual interactions, leading to alterations of a cryptographicdigital asset’s phenotypic characteristics. A gene representing highheat and rare heat could be changed from Hhrr to HHRR due to epigeneticfactors like the following: usage of real-world shoes may increase alikelihood of a genetic mutation or passing of a “good qualities”variation of genes to offspring; real world workouts, like running orsports, may increase a good gene mutation or increase speed of maturityof a progeny asset; checking into stores or other real-world criterionmay lead to positive gene mutation, passing of “good traits” tooffspring, speed up maturity; time-dependent breeding that prevents twocryptographic digital assets from crossbreeding before both assets reacha minimum age, otherwise breeding may fail or increase probability ofpassing “bad qualities” genes to progeny; unique breeding times maycause genetic mutations; frequent interactions (e.g., trading, selling,buying, and collaboration) with other assets or other apps may lead topositive gene mutation, passing of “good traits” to offspring, or speedup maturity.

In may be desirable that a cryptographic digital asset have itsunderlying genotypic information or phenotypic expression altered (e.g.,mutated or edited) using an acquired cryptographic digital attribute (an“attribute pack”). The cryptographic digital attribute may include asubset of the genotypic and/or phenotypic traits that is less than acomplete expression of a cryptographic digital asset. In a shoe context,a CryptoKick attribute pack may include genotypic and/or phenotypicinformation related to one or more discrete features of the digitalshoe, though fewer features than a complete CryptoKick. Exampleattributes may include a style of a heel counter, laces, toe bumper,logo, colorway, and the like. When the cryptographic digital attributeis intermingled with the cryptographic digital asset, one or more of thegenotypic code segments or phenotypic expressions may either be directlyreplaced with those of the asset, or may be bred to create a progenyattribute that involves a probabilistic combination of the preexistingattribute and the attribute expressed in the attribute pack. Theresulting, mutated/edited digital asset (and/or asset ID code) may thenbe recorded to the distributed blockchain ledger.

The ability to edit and/or mutate discrete attributes of a user’sdigital asset helps to promote both user engagement and to enable broadoptions for brand promotion. More specifically, cryptographic digitalattribute packs may be released to mutate/modify an asset to include aparticular sports team’s colors, to include unique features orattributes from a key influencer’s similar cryptographic digital asset,or the like. By analogy, this ability for targeted mutation/gene editingmay be similar to CRISPR technologies in the biotech landscape. In someimplementations, where breeding rules govern the effect of the attributepack on the digital asset, there may be a probabilistic and/or uncertainresult in how the newly introduced attribute is expressed in theresulting cryptographic digital asset. For example, if the attributepack includes a team-specific colorway, the breeding/intermingling mayresult in different expressions if intermingled with differentunderlying assets (or even different expressions if applied to twoidentical underlying assets).

CryptoKick attribute packs may be provided in a similar manner as“full-fledged” CryptoKicks, however in an example, instead of beingprovided with a completed article of footwear or apparel, they mayinstead be provided with the sale of a customizing product or service(i.e., a component or modification kit that is intended to modify anarticle of footwear or apparel though is short of being a full articleof footwear or apparel itself). Examples may include the sale of customlaces, temporary appliqués (e.g., logos or panels adhered via hook andloop fastener, snaps, or non-permanent adhesives), kits for customizing,and/or services for customizing (e.g., dying services, sublimation, saleor application of dye kits or pigments, deposition layering, colorationlayering, application of optical effects- modification of structuralcolor, static color, or pearlescence; laser etching services, acid dyewashing services; additive manufacturing - 3d printing, dimensionalpainting, etc.).

To better control the distribution of cryptographic digital attributepacks, each pack may be recorded to a distributed blockchain ledger uponcreation, thus providing each attribute pack a separate existence. Eachcryptographic digital attribute pack may include, for example, a smartcontract that terminates the attribute pack’s existence or ability to besubsequently intermingled with a different digital asset. As such, anattribute pack may optionally be a single-use ability to edit or mutatean underlying digital asset. Further, in at least some applications, thesmart contract aspects may time-limit the ability to intermingle with anunderlying digital asset.

As noted above, FIG. 7 schematically illustrates a method of acquiring adigital collectable or attribute pack that may be linked or coordinatedwith the sale of a physical product. Namely, as shown in FIG. 7 , theuser 11 brings a device (i.e., smartphone device 40) in proximity to aphysical product 200 that includes an identifier (UPID), such as a QRCode, barcode, digital image, RFID tag, NFC tag, BLUETOOTH id, registryentry in an embedded processor, or some other machine readable code.This code may then be recognized by the phone 40 either optically, viaradio frequency communication, magnetic properties, or via wired datacommunication. Following the identification/recognition of the UPID, thephone 40 may initiate the transfer and/or original provisioning of adigital asset 202 linked with that product 200 to the user’s locker 204that is in communication with a blockchain service/network 60. In anextension of this concept, the transfer of the digital asset 202 may befurther secured using a PIN, cryptographic key, access code, or the likethat may be provided, for example, on a receipt following the user’spurchase of the product 200.

In an example, should the user 11 acquire a CryptoKick with the purchaseof a pair of sneakers, and then subsequently return the sneakers, asmart contract associated with the CryptoKicks may unravel theacquisition and automatically return the token and full right to theCryptoKick back to the company/retailer. In the event the purchasersold/traded the CryptoKick to a bona fide purchaser (BFP) prior toreturning the shoes, this secondary transaction may similarly beunraveled/reversed. With the reversal of this secondary transaction, theBFP may be presented with the option to re-acquire the CryptoKick fromthe company/retailer for a predetermined price (e.g., a prevailing pricefor the asset, at a discount to a prevailing price, at a fixed price setprior to market release, or for a nominal amount). In anotherembodiment, the BFP of the CryptoKick may have the first right ofrefusal to acquire/purchase the retuned physical product. This may besignificant in the case of limited release sneakers that are, bydefinition, scarce.

FIG. 8 schematically illustrates a method of acquiring a digitalcollectable or attribute pack such as during a promotional giveaway. Asshown, the user 11 may locate a virtual object 210, such as aCryptoKick, in an arena 212 using an AR capability of a smartphone 40.In this example, the CryptoKick may be “hidden” in a scoreboard 214,though may be freely recognizable using an app on the phone thatinterfaces with a camera on the phone. The app may illustrate thevirtual object on a display when the camera recognizes a specificenvironmental optical pattern (i.e., the scoreboard within the arena),and when the phone is geolocated within a particular area (i.e., via GPSsensing, beacons, geofencing techniques, WiFi connectivity, and thelike. Once located, the user 11 may be prompted to scan a unique code,such as the barcode on a ticket, a unique code provided on a program orphysical item (e.g., noise maker, light stick, towel) that may be placedon the user’s seat prior to the game. This code may be associated and/orlinked with an allocated, registered, or pre-provisioned cryptographicasset and KickID. Once this code is scanned or entered, the phone 40 mayinitiate the transfer of the digital asset 202 to the user’s locker 204that is in communication with a blockchain service/network 60. Forexample, the smartphone 40 may communicate the code to a server, wherean associated KickID may be looked up and then transferred to a lockerassociated with the user’s ID.

In an even more general brand promotion case, the need to locate avirtual object may not be strictly required to receive the CryptoKick orattribute pack. Said another way, a server, such as a middleware server,may receive an indication that a user device is at a particular venueduring a particular event. This indication may be derived from GPS-basedposition coordinates that are determined from a GPS receiver on the userdevice. More specifically, the determined GPS coordinates may becompared to a predefined geofenced area around the venue and theindication may represent whether the device is inside or outside of thevenue. Alternatively, the indication may result from the device being inproximity to one or more 802.11 or BLUETOOTH beacons located at thevenue, or optical recognition, via a camera on the device, of specificvisual characteristics of the venue.

The server may then prompt the user, via the user device, to scan aunique identifier that should be readily obtainable by a person inattendance at the event. Example unique identifiers may include a ticketbarcode, a code on a physical object, a code on the user’s seat, a codeprinted on a merchandise receipt, or the like. Once this code is scannedor entered, the server may receive an indication of the user’s unique IDand the unique scanned code. The server and/or the user device mayinitiate the transfer of the digital asset 202 to the user’s locker 204that is in communication with a blockchain service/network 60. Otherconditions, such as discovery of an AR object at the venue or theoccurrence of a specific event may add further conditional layers thatmust be fulfilled prior to the server executing the transfer. As anoption, a user device may record the device’s presence at the locationand/or time, and claiming of the CryptoKick may be available for apredetermined period of time following the event.

The ability to acquire the CryptoKick may further be initiated by anaspect of the game/event, rather than by locating an AR object or bypresence at the event alone. Examples of such triggering events mayinclude, for example, a shut-out (hockey/baseball), no-hitter(baseball), 50+ point individual performance (basketball), atriple-double (basketball), a hat trick (soccer/hockey), a scorelessquarter/period/half (basketball, hockey, soccer), and overtime/extrainnings. In such an embodiment, the occurrence of the event may triggeran alert on the user’s device 39, which would prompt the user to scantheir ticket to facilitate the transfer. In an example, to eliminate asecondary market for ticket stubs, the app on the user’s device thatfacilitates the notification may require that the scan occur only withina predetermined geofence and/or time of the game/event. In a furtherextension, the marketplace (described above) may further permit the user39 to prospectively sell the unvested right to the CryptoKick if thetriggering event were to occur. This would resemble the user writing andselling a tradable option to the CryptoKick that either expiresworthless, or results in the option purchaser acquiring the CryptoKick.

It should be appreciated that in any of the above-described CryptoKickacquisition methods, an attribute pack may be obtained through similarmeans/techniques. For example, in an example, a user’s presence at asporting event may enable them to receive an attribute pack comprising acolorway of one of the team’s colors. This attribute pack may then beintermingled with an existing CryptoKick to mutate or edit an existingcolorway attribute toward the team color scheme. Optionally,transmitting the unique scanned code may then direct an application orbrowser on the user’s device to a virtual storefront where colorwayattribute packs of each teach may be made available, and where the useris prompted to select one for acquisition. Similar virtual storefronttechniques may similarly be useful for the selection and transfer ofCryptoKicks as well.

FIGS. 9 and 10 schematically illustrate a video game interface 220including a display 222. The video game interface 220 and/or display 222may be integral with a user device 39 (e.g., a smartphone 40 or tablet),or may be a standalone gaming console coupled with a display 222. Thedevice 39 may generally be configured to execute a digital application224 that requires user input to control a virtual character 226 withinan environment 228. The character 226 may include or be defined by aplurality of attributes 230 that may affect how the character 226behaves, responds, or performs within the environment 230, and/or howthe character 226 interacts with other characters 232 that may becontrolled by the application 224 or by other users in a networkedenvironment.

In one context, the character 226 may be an athlete and the environment228 may be a sporting environment. FIG. 9 illustrates such a character226 as a footballer, and the environment 228 as a football pitch withina stadium. The character’s attributes 230 may include, for example,speed, ball control, passing, defense, kicking power, balance, andstamina (among others). In an example, the character 226 may beoutfit/skinned with a digital collectable (e.g., an article of apparel234) that may be uniquely backed by a token on the blockchain 60. In anembodiment, the digital collectable may have been acquired in any one ofthe manners described herein. In one configuration, the application 224may access the genetic code of the digital asset on the blockchain 60via an API or other software interface 236 (i.e., an embodiment of the3^(rd) party interface 66 described above) and/or may access thephenotype expression of the object either via an integrated softwaredecoder or by accessing a networked virtual object generator 62 of thekind described above. In one configuration, one or more of theattributes 230 may be positively or negatively influenced by the geneticcode or phenotype expression of the object 234. While FIG. 9 illustratesthe object as an article of apparel, it may similarly be an article offootwear, an object the character may use, a piece of sportingequipment, or the like.

Further building upon the notion of the CryptoKick as property, in anexample, a user or company may rent out or lease out the use of thedigital collectable within a video game for a period of time. In anexample, the leasing may be constrained so that only one instance of aparticular user’s asset exists in any particular context. For example, auser may own full rights to an exclusive CryptoKick. That user mayconcurrently lease out the CryptoKick for use in Basketball Game A for 1week, Soccer Game B for 2 weeks, and 1^(st) Person Shooter Game C for 3weeks.

Another option may include programming a cryptographic digital asset asa virtual “pet” that a user cares for and helps to grow from a baby toan adult. FIG. 10 , for example, illustrates a user’s avatar 226 takinghis pet CryptoKicks 240 for a virtual walk and interacting with anavatar of another user 232 within an environment 228 representative of avirtual world. As mentioned above, such virtual interactions may affectthe evolution, value, rate of maturation, visual appearance,marketability, etc., of the pet CryptoKick. The attributes of thedigital asset may change with age or be unlocked over time. A user maycare for the virtual pet directly or source to a third party (e.g.,through ETH payment or transaction by other means). The virtual pet maygo through various life stages, and concomitantly unlock differentreal-life sneaker versions of itself that a user can then purchase instores.

Referring again to FIG. 9 , much like the virtual pet of FIG. 10 ,gameplay, use of the digital asset, or improvements in a character’slevel, experience, or accomplishments may operatively alter/modify oneor more genotypic and/or phenotypic attributes of the digitalasset/CryptoKick. Similarly, gameplay, use of the digital asset, orimprovements in a character’s level, experience, or accomplishments mayoperatively modify the effect that the digital asset has on thecharacter’s ability or gameplay. For example, in an example, achievementof a new level, tournament victory, global ranking above a predefinedthreshold, or other similar accomplishments may modify an attribute ofthe CryptoKick to have a distinctive or limited availability appearance,colorway, skin, or the like. Likewise, such accomplishments may serve asa multiplier on the effects that the digital asset imparts to thecharacter.

Referring to FIG. 11 , a set of digital assets may take the form of, ormay be used in a digital collectable card game (DCCG). In such a game,each user may have a collection of digital assets, each with a differentset, balance, or weighting of attributes/attribute scores, and/ordifferent features, abilities, or powers. Users may optionally taketurns playing individual cards or groups of cards in an effort to winaccording to the rules set by the game.

While collectable card games, themselves, are generally well known, theuse of the presently described digital assets may provide a uniqueextension of these games. Furthermore, these games may serve as anadditional use and motivation for collecting the digital assets. Byuniquely securing each digital asset to an immutable database such as ablockchain 60, each player’s collection of cards and their requiredstrategy for using those cards will likely be unique also.

In such an embodiment, a game server 300 may be in communication with aplurality of different user devices 39. As with above, the user devices39 may be smartphones 40, smart watches 42, tablet computers, laptopcomputers, web enabled devices, or other such devices that are capableof networked communication with the server 300. Each user device 39 maybe linked to a separate digital locker 204, which may permit the user toaccess their securely stored digital assets from the blockchain 60. Eachasset may be represented as a separate digital card on the user’sdevice, and may have its own unique attribute set (i.e., part of thephenotype). In an example, a virtual object generator 62 may be incommunication with the user devices 39 and/or the game server 300 tocreate the expression of the virtual object from the genotypicinformation associated with the token on the blockchain 60. The gameserver 300 may manage the rules of the game, including maintaining aplurality of user accounts, instructing a first user, via the user’sdevice 39, when it is time to play, and altering an attribute of asecond user’s account based on the receipt of digital asset data fromthe first user. The received digital asset data may correspond to adigital asset played by the first user via the first user’s device.

In an example, the game server 300 may not have any stored understandingof a user’s collection of digital assets until digital asset data isreceived. As such, in this embodiment, the asset collection for a usermay be maintained solely by the user’s device. In an alternateembodiment, a user’s collection of assets may be registered with theuser’s account maintained by the game server 300. In this configuration,the digital asset data may simply be an indication of which card in theuser’s account was played.

While FIG. 11 is intended to illustrate a plurality of users engaged ina DCCG, in an alternate configuration, the illustration may berepresentative of a meet-up where a plurality of users come to a commonlocation for the purpose of breeding their CryptoKicks. Such an eventmay be coordinated by a central server that is linked to user accountsin a local area. Alternatively, users may have the ability to sponsorevents and/or broadcast their own location for others to connect and/orcreate a user-initiated meet-up or invitation.

In at least some applications, the attributes of a cryptographic digitalasset can be directly related to corresponding attributes of areal-world shoe for purposes of production. Optionally, digital assetattributes may be linked to a bill of materials for cost calculation andas a control mechanism. Resulting offspring may be restricted to havingphenotype characteristics that can be created in the real world based onmanufacturing capabilities, materials, and other factors. As CryptoKicksand CollaboKicks change owners due to selling, trading, buying, andcollaboration, the resultant transaction history is tracked within theblockchain. Once a CollaboKick or CryptoKick that does not currentlyexist is created in real life, previous owners/users may be notified ofsuch real-life existence and may be given an option to purchase thesneaker.

Turning next to FIG. 12 , there is shown an example of a distributedcomputing system, which is designated generally at 400 and portrayedherein for purposes of discussion as a client-server orienteddecentralized computing architecture for provisioning cryptographicdigital assets during retail product transactions. Although differing inappearance, the representative computing system 400 of FIG. 12 mayinclude any of the options and features described above with respect tothe system architectures and retail products shown in FIGS. 1-11 , andvice versa. In accord with the architecture of FIG. 12 , the distributedcomputing system 400 enables users to reserve and procure variousproducts, services, events, etc., that have limited availability. Using,for example, different social networking services, electronicbillboards, dedicated mobile apps, text messages, push notifications,etc., the system 400 announces the availability to securelimited-release retail products, event tickets, etc. Users may respondto these announcements via a social networking service, text message, orapp, with requests to be added to a virtual line or waiting bin. Productreservations with the ability to secure a limited-release retailproduct, event ticket, etc., may be issued to users that are selected atrandom from the waiting bin or based on their respective positions inthe virtual line.

According to a non-limiting implementation of the architecture presentedin FIG. 12 , an athletic shoe manufacturer may occasionally fabricateand release limited edition or exclusive edition shoes. NIKE® Corp., forexample, may issue an announcement through their SNKRS® sub-site and appof a limited-quantity footwear release (e.g., 1000 basketball shoes ineach of sizes 8-14). This limited shoe release is accompanied by acorresponding limited-availability of product reservations that will beobtainable on a given date and/or time. On the release day/time, usersaccess their personal user accounts through the SNKRS® sub-site and appand, if deemed eligible, are placed into a holding bin or a virtualline. The SNKRS® site will then select which of the users are ‘winners’and, thus, will be eligible to secure the limited-release sneakers.Winners may be chosen via a random draw, via a random win/lossgenerator, or via their place in a virtual line. For at least someimplementations, a future SNKRS launch experience may require users tolocate, scan, and submit a quick-response (QR) code to be eligible for atime-limited, pre-launch event.

During this stage, users may be prompted to engage in virtual activities(e.g., an alternative reality (AR) scavenger hunt) of physicalactivities (e.g., group relay race) to improve their virtual lineposition or increase their chances of winning “THE DRAW”. If a userengages in a preapproved physical activity or virtual activity during adesignated window of time before THE DRAW, they may be rewarded byincreasing their chances of winning THE DRAW and/or by earning amultiplier for their activity/membership points. For instance, the usermay be awarded with a multiplier of two-times (2X) for NIKE COINS™during a preset launch window for a next generation pair of AIR JORDAN®3 White Cement sneakers for playing basketball at least four times aweek until THE DRAW. This feature will promote making basketball a dailyhabit as the user waits for the launch of the limited-release sneakers.

During post-launch, if a user is not selected in The DRAW to secure oneof the limited-release sneakers, they are provided with an opportunityto secure one of a number of limited-release CryptoKicks. As indicatedabove, these CryptoKicks may be similar or identical in appearance, somemay be distinctive in appearance, and some may be scarcer and, thus,more valuable than others. After not winning The DRAW for the physicalproduct, a user may be given the option of opting-in to a secondarydrawing. In this consolation drawing, users may trade in activity pointsor membership points to increase their chances of receiving/unlockingone of the limited-release CryptoKicks. For at least someimplementations, this post-launch event may be fashioned as a “gashapon”style drawing in which the available assets are of overall higherquality, with some being relatively scarce, and with the users having noprior knowledge of what exactly they may win. As a further option, thecost of entry may include activity points or membership points (i.e.,points of some variety that a user receives in response to a favorableactivity - for example, purchasing shoes, number of miles run orworkouts completed, check-ins, app-engagement, or some other genericactivity score). Additionally, the post-launch event may be part of anevent-based shoe launch, e.g., during an Esports tournament, at a KPOPconcert, etc. Additional information regarding tracking user physicalactivity and awarding virtual points or virtual currency for suchactivity can be found, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 9,289,683,9,940,682 and 9,415,266, all of which are incorporated herein byreference in their respective entireties and for all purposes.

If a user wins The DRAW for the option to purchase/win a pair of limitedrelease footwear, they may be given the option to not purchase/takepossession of the physical footwear. Instead, if they choose to declinethe physical footwear, they may automatically win a limited-release CKor be given the option to earn an additional multiplier for NIKE COINS™(e.g., 4X) that will, in turn, increase the user’s chances of winning alimited-release CryptoKick. In the same vein, if they win thelimited-release CryptoKick, they may be provided with the option todecline the limited-release CK and instead earn an even biggermultiplier (e.g., 8X) for a future drawing for an even more limited CK.Instead of earning more NIKE COINS™ to purchase CKs or other virtualgoods, the user may continue turning down winnings to further increasetheir probability of winning in a future drawing or may use all of theiravailable NIKE COINS™ for a super-exclusive NIKE® “gacha” styleexperience.

Another available feature provisioned through the distributed computingsystem 400 is the ability to monitor and minimize aftermarket “scalping”resale of high-demand products, services, events, etc. The resale oflimited, exclusive, or special-release footwear was estimated to be amulti-billion dollar industry in 2019. One method used to circumventstandardized protocols for the random dissemination of such footwear isfor an entity to release dozens or hundreds of software agent robots(bots) on a website or app to multiply their chances of securingmultiple pairs of the footwear. This entity then immediately turnsaround and resells the limited-release footwear for 2X to 10X the retailprice. To counter these activities, each pair of shoes is assigned witha respective blockchain-backed digital asset that allows the system 400to track and analyze the chain of title/ownership for each tangibleshoe. With this knowledge, the system 400 is able to profile each useraccount based on, for example, purchasing habits, average time ofownership, resale habits, drawing attendance, and other pertinent data.This knowledge allows a manufacturer/retailer to better allocate futureshoe access and allotments to presales, such as affecting theprobability of winning a future draw or restricting access to a futuredraw.

With continuing reference to FIG. 12 , one or more users 414A, 414B,414C ... 414 n on the distributed computing system 400 operate personalcomputing devices, such as a computer tablet, desktop computer, handheldsmartphone, etc., to communicative with a host retail ProductReservation Platform 410 over a wireless communications Network 416.Product Reservation Platform 410 may occasionally broadcast over Network416 a message announcing the availability of reservation requests for alimited-release retail product. A backend server-class computer orsimilarly suitable computing device of the Product Reservation Platform410 may randomly or pseudo- randomly select the date and/or time of thebroadcast. Alternatively, the date/time of the product release event maybe manually selected by an event planner or other individual. The dateand time of the broadcast may be made available to all or only selectindividuals; optionally, the broadcast time may be withheld from selectrecipients. After reviewing the broadcast message, a user may respondwith a reservation request. Product Reservation Platform 410 may processthe received reservation requests on a first come, first serve (FCFS)basis, and send reservation messages to users who successfully reserveda retail product.

Product Reservation Platform 410 may perform a variety of functionsassociated with a product release event. For instance, the Platform 400may capture and implement event details as well as compose and schedulebroadcast messages through a Social Networking Service 412, on a digitalbillboard 418, and over a cellular network 420. The Platform 400 mayalso track reservation confirmations, reservation denials, reservationsthat are fulfilled, and reservations that are left incomplete, as wellas provide overall analytics of such data. Product Reservation Platform410 may also contain logic that prevents abuse, including: settingquantity limits (e.g., one (1) product per person); issuing encryptedreservation codes; and capturing/storing information for users to verifypurchase and a point of delivery/pickup. Product Reservation Platform410 may also have integrations with customer data management systemsthat support targeted segmentation of announcement messages. A loyaltyprogram may be implemented where users pre-register for productlaunches, identify preferred product attributes and interests,accumulate loyalty points and rewards, etc.

Network 416 of FIG. 12 may take on any of the optional configurationsand features described above with respect to wireless communicationsnetwork 38 of FIG. 2 . For example, the network 416 may employ availablewireless and wireline transmission systems, such as public or privatesatellite systems, cellular networks, terrestrial networks, etc. Most ifnot all data transaction functions carried out by the user 14 may beconducted, for example, over a wireless network, such as a wirelesslocal area network (WLAN) or cellular data network. In someimplementations, the system 400 can be a web-based system where users orclients 414A, 414B, 414C ... 414 n use internet-based websites and/orweb-based applications to access the transaction features disclosedherein. In various aspects, a user’s personal computing device includesa web browser or a dedicated, standalone application software, or acombination of both. A web browser typically allows a user to search forand/or request a web page (e.g., from a server farm 52) with a web pagerequest. Upon creation of an encrypted digital asset, the Platform 410may transmit a token, with a matching public key and owner ID, to adistributed blockchain ledger 422 to record and peer-validate transfersof the cryptographic digital asset, such as a unique non-fungible token(NFT), on a transaction block.

With reference now to the flow chart of FIG. 13 , an improved method orcontrol strategy for provisioning cryptographic digital assetsassociated with retail product transfers is generally described at 500.Some or all of the operations illustrated in FIG. 13 , and described infurther detail below, may be representative of a discrete controlalgorithm or a subroutine interoperable with the method 100 of FIG. 4 orany of the other techniques and algorithms described above. Theillustrated operations may correspond to processor-executableinstructions that may be stored, for example, in cache or random-accessmemory, and executed, for example, by one or more of a controller,central processing unit, control logic circuit, module, device, ornetwork of devices, to perform any or all of the herein describedfunctions associated with the disclosed concepts. The order of executionof the illustrated operations may be changed, additional operations maybe added, and some of the operations described may be modified,combined, or eliminated.

Method 500 begins at terminal block 501 with processor-executableinstructions for calling up an initialization procedure for a protocolto commence a limited-release product launch event. Terminal block 501of FIG. 13 may include any of the features and options described abovewith respect to terminal block 101 of FIG. 4 . At data display block503, a system server computer broadcasts an electronic notification toannounce an impending transaction for a retail product, such aslimited-release footwear, exclusive-release apparel, special-release ofhigh-end watches or designer fashions, etc. As noted above, thisnotification may be broadcast during a previously announced time period,at a random or preset time within that time period, which may be knownor unknown to the users receiving the broadcast message. Additionalinformation regarding the promotion and administration of productofferings for limited-release products can be found, for example, inU.S. Pat. Application Publication No. 2013/0290134 A1, which isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety and for all purposes.

After broadcasting the announcement, method 500 advances to datainput/output block 505 to begin intake and processing of user requeststo participate in the upcoming transaction of the limited-release retailproduct. In accord with the representative architecture of FIG. 12 , theProduct Reservation Platform 410 may open a dedicated web engine portalor temporarily enable a callable unit within a mobile app through whichthe system 400 receives participation requests over the Network 416 fromthe personal computing devices of numerous user 414A, 414B, 414C ... 414n. Each received request may include a unique QR code that was acquiredby the user before submitting their request. The unique QR code may beretrieved from a ticket to an event at a designated venue, a tangibleobject within the designated venue, or a merchandise receipt generatedwithin the designated venue.

At preparation block 507, a select number of the users is added to avirtual line associated with the future transaction of the retailproduct. The Platform 410 may use any logically suitable servicediscipline to determine which users will be added and the manner inwhich they will be added to the virtual line. This virtual line may begenerated in real-time or may be retrieved in a fillable format from adatabase file as part of preparation block 507. In selecting which userswill be added to the line, the Product Reservation Platform 410 mayaccept, aggregate, and process data documenting one or more of the userscompleting a predefined activity or series of activities. In recompensefor completing a predefined activity, the Platform 410 may automaticallyadvance a user to a new and better position forward in the virtual linebased on the received data. Additional information regarding thecreation and management of virtual lines for product offerings can befound, for example, in U.S. Pat. Application Publication No.2015/0205894 A1, which is incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety and for all purposes.

Method 500 of FIG. 13 continues from preparation block 507 to processblock 509 and determines which of the users added to the virtual lineare selected to receive the retail product. A product release event mayinclude a single retail product that is available for winning/purchaseby one participant or, alternatively, multiple retail products that areavailable for winning/purchase by multiple participants. At thisjuncture, a lone (first) user or a (first) subset of users is selectedfrom the virtual line; each selected user will receive one of the retailproducts or a reservation to purchase one of the retail products. Whilethe number of users added to the virtual line may be chosen using arandom number generator (RNG), and users may be added to the line on aFCFS basis, the user(s) selected for participating in the retailtransaction may be chosen from a preset position(s) within the virtualline. The virtual line may also be formatted as a lottery bin from whichwinners are selected on a random basis.

Prior to, contemporaneous with, or after completing process block 509,method 500 executes process block 511 to determine which of the users inthe virtual line are selected to receive a cryptographic digital asset.Similar to the availability of the limited-release retail productdescribed in the previous step, a lone (second) user may be selected toreceive a single cryptographic digital asset; on the other hand, arestricted (second) set of users may be selected to each receive one ofa series of cryptographic digital assets. It is desirable, for at leastsome implementations, that the user or users chosen to receive acryptographic digital asset be selected from only those users that werenot selected to receive one of the retail products. The cryptographicdigital asset meted out at block 511 may take on any of theblockchain-secured digital assets described herein. For instance, thecryptographic digital asset may contain a unique digital asset code and,optionally, a digital-version of a retail product - be it the same as ordifferent from the product made available for the release event. Thedigital asset code may include a cryptographic token with a code stringthat is segmented into a private key, a public key, and otherinformation relevant to the asset (e.g., transaction data, hash pointer,etc.).

A post-launch event may give away or offer for purchase a single type ofdigital asset or multiple discrete types of digital assets. Forinstance, users may submit requests for the ability to win or right topurchase an asset in a primary (first) set of assets containing aprincipal (first) type of cryptographic digital assets, and/or an assetin a subordinate (second) set of assets containing an ancillary (second)type of cryptographic digital assets. Process block 511 may consequentlyinclude selecting a primary (first) group/subset of users to receive theprimary (first) type of cryptographic digital asset, and a subordinate(second) group/subset of users to receive the ancillary (second) type ofcryptographic digital assets. To increase the desirability of one typeof asset over another, the assets contained in the primary (first) setof assets may be significantly more scarce than the assets in thesubordinate (second) set of assets (e.g., primary set contains1/100^(th) or 1/1000^(th) the number of assets available in thesubordinate set).

After selecting the user(s) that will receive a cryptographic digitalasset as part of the post-launch event, the method 500 advances to datastorage block 513 and transmits a respective cryptographic digital assetto a personal digital wallet of each selected (second) user. Thistransfer may first necessitate the user submitting proof of purchase orpayment information for completing a purchase of the digital asset.Contemporaneous with this transfer, an electronic message is transmittedto each user notifying them of the transfer and providing a unique keywith a hashed address to access the cryptographic token. Method 500 ofFIG. 13 advances from data storage block 513 to data input/output block515 and transmits the unique digital asset code, owner ID, transactiondata, etc., to a distributed blockchain ledger to record on a distinctrecord block the transfer of the cryptographic digital asset to theuser.

It may be desirable to monitor subsequent transfers of a limited-releaseproduct and/or a digital asset in order to accumulate corresponding userdata and derive therefrom estimated consumer use information. By way ofexample, the method 500 may generate a distinct cryptographic digitalasset to secure each transacted retail product. For each selected(first) user, method 500 may track a time of custody between the initialtransfer of the retail product’s cryptographic digital asset to thatuser’s personal digital wallet and a subsequent transfer of the retailproduct’s cryptographic digital asset to a third-party digital wallet ofanother user. The method 500 may then determine if the selected (first)user’s time of custody is below a predefined “acceptable” minimum holdtime of the cryptographic digital asset. If not, the method 500 mayautomatically output a scalping notification to themanufacturer/retailer notifying them that the personal account of theselected (first) user may need to be constrained or temporarily orpermanently suspended. As yet a further option, a smart contract may begenerated to authenticate ownership of and to track future transactionof the cryptographic digital asset.

Aspects of this disclosure may be implemented, for example, through acomputer-executable program of instructions, such as program modules,generally referred to as software applications or application programsexecuted by any of a controller or the controller variations describedherein. Software may include, in non-limiting examples, routines,programs, objects, components, and data structures that performparticular tasks or implement particular data types. The software mayform an interface to allow a computer to react according to a source ofinput. The software may also cooperate with other code segments toinitiate a variety of tasks in response to data received in conjunctionwith the source of the received data. The software may be stored on anyof a variety of memory media, such as CD-ROM, magnetic disk, bubblememory, and semiconductor memory (e.g., various types of RAM or ROM).

Moreover, aspects of the present disclosure may be practiced with avariety of computer-system and computer-network configurations,including multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based orprogrammable-consumer electronics, minicomputers, mainframe computers,and the like. In addition, aspects of the present disclosure may bepracticed in distributed-computing environments where tasks areperformed by resident and remote-processing devices that are linkedthrough a communications network. In a distributed-computingenvironment, program modules may be located in both local and remotecomputer-storage media including memory storage devices. Aspects of thepresent disclosure may therefore be implemented in connection withvarious hardware, software or a combination thereof, in a computersystem or other processing system.

As noted in the disclosure, the present system may utilize public orprivate blockchain infrastructures, distributed ledgers, append-onlydatabases, and the like. In one example, the presently describedcryptographically secured digital assets may initially be stored/securedto a private blockchain that resides on infrastructure maintained by asingle entity, or consortium of entities. Each entity may agree upon acommon form, or data construct for the infrastructure, though assets ofany one entity may be maintained by that entity. Such a model mayprovide for the sharing of network and infrastructure costs/resources,while permitting each entity to maintain their own asset independence.To further public trust, assets created on this private or semi-privateblockchain may be transferrable to public chains at the discretion ofthe user (potentially subject to one or more conditions of transfer).

Any of the methods described herein may include machine readableinstructions for execution by: (a) a processor, (b) a controller, and/or(c) any other suitable processing device. Any algorithm, software,control logic, protocol or method disclosed herein may be embodied assoftware stored on a tangible medium such as, for example, a flashmemory, a CD-ROM, a floppy disk, a hard drive, a digital versatile disk(DVD), or other memory devices. The entire algorithm, control logic,protocol, or method, and/or parts thereof, may alternatively be executedby a device other than a controller and/or embodied in firmware ordedicated hardware in an available manner (e.g., implemented by anapplication specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logicdevice (PLD), a field programmable logic device (FPLD), discrete logic,etc.). Further, although specific algorithms are described withreference to flowcharts depicted herein, many other methods forimplementing the example machine-readable instructions may alternativelybe used.

Aspects of the present disclosure have been described in detail withreference to the illustrated embodiments; those skilled in the art willrecognize, however, that many modifications may be made thereto withoutdeparting from the scope of the present disclosure. The presentdisclosure is not limited to the precise construction and compositionsdisclosed herein; any and all modifications, changes, and variationsapparent from the foregoing descriptions are within the scope of thedisclosure as defined by the appended claims. Moreover, the presentconcepts expressly include any and all combinations and subcombinationsof the preceding elements and features. Additional features may bereflected in the following clauses:

Clause 1: a method of brand promotion using cryptographic digitalassets, the method comprising: provisioning a plurality of non-fungibletokens, each registered with an immutable database or blockchain, andeach corresponding to a unique digital asset; associating each tokenwith a unique, machine readable identification code; providing eachmachine readable identification code to a different respectiveindividual from a plurality of individuals; providing software code to auser device associated with at least one of the plurality ofindividuals; wherein the user device includes a camera, a display, and alocation recognition circuit, the software code configured to: cause theuser device to discover a virtual image within a real-world environment,display a prompt, via the display, for the user to scan the machinereadable identification code upon discovery of the virtual image;recognize a machine readable identification code, and cause the tokenassociated with the machine readable identification code to betransferred to a digital locker associated with the individual or userdevice.

Clause 2: the method of clause 1, wherein the token includes genotypicinformation corresponding to one or more phenotypic expressions of avirtual object.

Clause 3: the method of any of clauses 1-2, wherein the software codecauses the user device to discover the virtual image within thereal-world environment via augmented reality.

Clause 4: the method of any of clauses 1-3, wherein the software codecauses the user device to recognize an environment according to anoptical image perceived by the camera and a location determined by thelocation recognition circuit; display the optical image on the display,overlay the displayed optical image with the virtual image at apredetermined location within the displayed environment.

Clause 5: the method of any of clauses 1-4, wherein the unique digitalasset includes a virtual object comprising a plurality of attributes,and where each attribute is determinable, at least in part, according toa portion of code associated with the token of that unique digitalasset.

Clause 6: the method of clause 5, wherein at least one of the pluralityof attributes is influenced in its expression by use of the virtualobject.

Clause 7: the method of any of clauses 1-6, wherein the locationrecognition circuit is a GPS receiver.

Clause 8: a method of brand promotion using cryptographic digitalassets, the method comprising: provisioning a plurality of non-fungibletokens, each registered with an immutable database or blockchain, andeach corresponding to a different respective physical retail productselected from a plurality of physical retail products; associating eachtoken with a unique, machine readable identification code; providing themachine readable identification code associated with a first physicalretail product to a retail purchaser of the first physical retailproduct; receiving a request from a user device associated with theretail purchaser to transfer the non-fungible token associated with thefirst physical retail product to a digital locker associated with theretail purchaser or user device, wherein the request includes a codeincluded in or derived from the machine readable identification codeassociated with the first physical retail product.

Clause 9: the method of clause 8, further comprising initiating arequest to the immutable database or blockchain to transfer thenon-fungible token associated with the first physical retail product tothe digital locker associated with the retail purchaser.

Clause 10: the method of any of clauses 8-9, further comprising:providing software code to the user device; wherein the user deviceincludes a camera, a display, and a location recognition circuit, thesoftware code configured to: cause the user device to discover a virtualimage within a real-world environment, display a prompt, via thedisplay, for the user to scan the machine readable identification codeupon discovery of the virtual image; and recognize a machine readableidentification code.

Clause 11: the method of clause 10, wherein the software code causes theuser device to recognize the machine readable identification codethrough at least one of optical recognition via the camera, RFID, NFC,or BLUETOOTH communications.

Clause 12: the method of any of clauses 8-11 wherein providing themachine readable identification code associated with a first physicalretail product to a retail purchaser of the first physical retailproduct includes at least one of: including the machine readableidentification code on a tag, label, or sticker attached to the firstretail product; printing the machine readable identification code on abox, container, or packaging material enclosing the first physicalretail product; printing the machine readable identification code on areceipt provided to the retail purchaser; printing a first portion ofthe machine readable identification code on the box, container, orpackaging material enclosing the first physical retail product, andprinting a second portion of the machine readable identification code ona receipt provided to the retail purchaser.

Clause 13: the method of clause 12, wherein the software code causes theuser device to discover the virtual image within the real-worldenvironment via augmented reality.

Clause 14: the method of any of clauses 12-13, wherein the software codecauses the user device to recognize an environment according to anoptical image perceived by the camera and a location determined by thelocation recognition circuit; display the optical image on the display,overlay the displayed optical image with the virtual image at apredetermined location within the displayed environment.

Clause 15: the method of any of clauses 8-14, wherein the token includesgenotypic information corresponding to one or more phenotypicexpressions of a virtual object.

Clause 16: the method of any of clauses 8-15, wherein the unique digitalasset includes a virtual object comprising a plurality of attributes,and where each attribute is determinable, at least in part, according toa portion of code associated with the token of that unique digitalasset.

Clause 17: the method of clause 16, wherein at least one of theplurality of attributes is influenced in its expression by use of thevirtual object.

Clause 18: a method comprising: providing a virtual object to a user,wherein the virtual object includes a plurality of attributes, andwherein each attribute of the plurality of attributes is at leastpartially derived from a code associated with a non-fungible tokenregistered to an immutable database or blockchain.

Clause 19: the method of clause 18, wherein providing the virtual objectto the user includes causing the non-fungible token to be transferred toan account associated with the user.

Clause 20: the method of clause 19, further comprising receiving valuefrom the user in consideration for causing the non-fungible token to betransferred to the account associated with the user.

Clause 21: the method of any of clauses 18-20, wherein providing thevirtual object to the user includes making the virtual object availableto the user within a video game.

Clause 22: the method of clause 21, wherein the video game includes anavatar, character, or athlete within a virtual environment, and whereinthe avatar, character, or athlete is controlled by user input receivedvia a user device.

Clause 23: the method of clause 22, wherein the virtual object is anarticle of footwear or an article of apparel.

Clause 24: the method any of clauses 22-23, wherein the avatar,character, or athlete includes a plurality of character attributes, eachhaving a respective attribute score that affects a behavior,performance, or ability of the avatar, character, or athlete within theenvironment; and wherein integration of the virtual object with theavatar, character, or athlete operatively modifies at least oneattribute score.

Clause 25: the method of clause 21, wherein the video game is a digitalcollectable card game, and wherein the virtual object is represented asa digital collectable card.

Clause 26: the method of any of clauses 21-25, further comprisingproviding an indication of the use of the virtual object within thevideo game to a remote server, and wherein the indication of use of thevirtual object is operative to alter at least one of the plurality ofattributes of the virtual object.

Clause 27: a computerized system for implementing any of the methods ofclauses 1-16.

Clause 28: a method for automating generation of cryptographic digitalassets associated with articles of footwear, each of the articles offootwear including an upper for attaching to a foot of a user and a solestructure attached to the upper for supporting thereon the foot of theuser, the method comprising: receiving, via a middleware server computerover a distributed computing network from a remote computing node, atransaction confirmation indicative of a validated transfer of anarticle of footwear from a first party to a second party; determining,via the middleware server computer from an encrypted relationaldatabase, a unique owner identification (ID) code associated with thesecond party; generating a cryptographic digital asset associated withthe article of footwear, the cryptographic digital asset including adigital shoe and a unique digital shoe ID code; linking, via themiddleware server computer, the cryptographic digital asset with theunique owner ID code; and transmitting, via the middleware servercomputer to a distributed blockchain ledger, the unique digital shoe IDcode and the unique owner ID code to record transfer of thecryptographic digital asset to the second party on a transaction block.

Clause 29: the method of clause 28, wherein the unique digital shoe IDcode includes a cryptographic token key with a code string segmentedinto a series of code subsets, wherein a first plurality of the codesubsets includes data indicative of attributes of the digital shoe.

Clause 30: the method of clause 29, wherein the first plurality of thecode subsets includes genotype and phenotype data for the digital shoe.

Clause 31: the method of any of clauses 29-30, wherein a secondplurality of the code subsets includes data indicative of attributes ofthe article of footwear.

Clause 32: the method of clause 31, wherein the second plurality of thecode subsets includes colorway, materials, manufacturing, make, and/ormodel data for the article of footwear.

Clause 33: the method of any of clauses 28-32, further comprising:responsive to receiving the transaction confirmation, transmitting anotification to the second party with information for accessing thecryptographic digital asset; and receiving, via the middleware servercomputer from a handheld personal computing device of the second party,a scanning confirmation verifying a universal product code (UPC) and/ora unique product identifier number (UPIN) corresponding to a make and amodel of the article of footwear has been scanned, wherein linking thecryptographic digital asset with the unique owner ID code is responsiveto receipt of the scanning confirmation.

Clause 34: the method of any of clauses 28-33, further comprising,responsive to receiving the transaction confirmation, transmitting anotification to the second party with a unique key with a hashed addressto a cryptographic token.

Clause 35: the method of any of clauses 28-34, further comprising:receiving a digital breeding solicitation with a request to interminglethe cryptographic digital asset with a third-party cryptographic digitalasset; and generating a progeny cryptographic digital asset with acombination of one or more features from the cryptographic digital assetand one or more features from the third-party cryptographic digitalasset.

Clause 36: the method of clause 35, wherein: the unique digital shoe IDcode includes a first cryptographic token key with a first code stringsegmented into a series of first code subsets, a first of the first codesubsets including data indicative of attributes of the digital shoe; thethird-party cryptographic digital asset includes a second cryptographictoken key with a second code string segmented into a series of secondcode subsets, a first of the second code subsets including dataindicative of attributes of a third-party digital shoe; and the progenycryptographic digital asset includes a third cryptographic token keywith a third code string segmented into a series of third code subsets,a first of the third code subsets including the data from the first ofthe first code subsets, and a second of the third code subsets includingthe data from the first of the second code subsets.

Clause 37: the method of clause 36, wherein the first of the first andthird code subsets both share a first distinct alphanumeric sequence,and wherein the first of the second code subsets and the second of thethird code subsets share a second distinct alphanumeric sequence.

Clause 38: the method of any of clauses 36-37, wherein generating theprogeny cryptographic digital asset includes applying a random numbergenerator to: designate one of the cryptographic digital asset or thethird-party cryptographic digital asset as a sire; designate another ofthe cryptographic digital asset or the third-party cryptographic digitalasset as a dam; and determine which of the third code subsetscorresponds to which of the first code subsets and which of the of thirdcode subsets correspond to which of the second code subsets.

Clause 39: the method of any of clauses 28-38, further comprising:receiving a digital transfer proposal with a request to transfer thecryptographic digital asset to a third party; determining a new uniqueowner ID code associated with the third party; linking the cryptographicdigital asset with the new unique owner ID code; and transmitting theunique digital shoe ID code and the new unique owner ID code to thedistributed blockchain ledger for recordation on a new transactionblock.

Clause 40: the method of clause 39, further comprising receiving a newtransaction confirmation indicative of a new validated transfer of thearticle of footwear from the second party to the third party.

Clause 41: the method of any of clauses 28-40, further comprisinggenerating, via the middleware server computer, a smart contractoperable to authenticate ownership and to track future transaction ofthe cryptographic digital asset.

Clause 42: the method of any of clauses 28-41, wherein the unique ownerID code is linked with a cryptocurrency wallet registered with thedistributed blockchain ledger.

Clause 43: the method of any of clauses 28-42, wherein the transactionconfirmation includes a universal product code (UPC) and/or a uniqueproduct identifier number (UPIN) corresponding to a make and a model ofthe article of footwear.

Clause 44: a decentralized computing system for automating generation ofcryptographic digital assets associated with articles of footwear, eachof the articles of footwear including an upper for attaching to a footof a user and a sole structure attached to the upper for supportingthereon the foot of the user, the decentralized computing systemcomprising: a wireless communications device configured to connect witha remote computing node over a distributed computing network; acryptographic digital asset registry storing digital shoes and uniquedigital shoe ID codes associated with multiple cryptographic digitalassets; and a middleware server computer operatively connected to thewireless communications device and the cryptographic digital assetregistry, the middleware server computer being programmed to: receive,over the distributed computing network from the remote computing node,an electronic transaction confirmation indicative of a validatedtransfer of an article of footwear from a first party to a second party;retrieve, from an encrypted relational database, a unique owneridentification (ID) code associated with the second party; generate acryptographic digital asset associated with the article of footwear, thecryptographic digital asset including a digital shoe and a uniquedigital shoe ID code; link the cryptographic digital asset with theunique owner ID code in the cryptographic digital asset registry; andtransmit the unique digital shoe ID code and the unique owner ID code toa distributed blockchain ledger to record transfer of the cryptographicdigital asset to the second party on a transaction block.

Clause 45: the decentralized computing system of clause 44, wherein theunique digital shoe ID code includes a cryptographic token key with acode string segmented into a series of code subsets, wherein a firstplurality of the code subsets includes data indicative of attributes ofthe digital shoe.

Clause 46: the decentralized computing system of clause 45, wherein asecond plurality of the code subsets includes data indicative ofattributes of the article of footwear.

Clause 47: the decentralized computing system of any of clauses 44-45,wherein the middleware server computer is further programmed to:responsive to receiving the transaction confirmation, transmit a digitalnotification to the second party with information for accessing thecryptographic digital asset; and receive, from a handheld personalcomputing device of the second party, a scanning confirmation verifyinga universal product code (UPC) and/or a unique product identifier number(UPIN) corresponding to a make and a model of the article of footwearhas been scanned, wherein linking the cryptographic digital asset withthe unique owner ID code is responsive to receipt of the scanningconfirmation.

Clause 48: the decentralized computing system of any of clauses 44-47,wherein the middleware server computer is further programmed to,responsive to receiving the transaction confirmation, transmit a digitalnotification to the second party with a unique key with a hashed addressto the cryptographic token.

Clause 49: the decentralized computing system of any of clauses 44-48,wherein the middleware server computer is further programmed to: receivea digital breeding bid from the second party with a request tointermingle the cryptographic digital asset with a third-partycryptographic digital asset; and generate a progeny cryptographicdigital asset with a combination of one or more features from thecryptographic digital asset and one or more features from thethird-party cryptographic digital asset.

Clause 50: the decentralized computing system of clause 49, wherein: theunique digital shoe ID code includes a first cryptographic token keywith a first code string segmented into a series of first code subsets,a first of the first code subsets including data indicative ofattributes of the digital shoe; the third-party cryptographic digitalasset includes a second cryptographic token key with a second codestring segmented into a series of second code subsets, a first of thesecond code subsets including data indicative of attributes of athird-party digital shoe; and the progeny cryptographic digital assetincludes a third cryptographic token key with a third code stringsegmented into a series of third code subsets, a first of the third codesubsets including the data from the first of the first code subsets, anda second of the third code subsets including the data from the first ofthe second code subsets.

Clause 51: the decentralized computing system of clause 50, whereingenerating the progeny cryptographic digital asset includes applying arandom number generator to: designate one of the cryptographic digitalasset or the third-party cryptographic digital asset as a sire;designate another of the cryptographic digital asset or the third-partycryptographic digital asset as a dam; and determine which of the ofthird code subsets correspond to the first code subsets and which of theof third code subsets correspond to the second code subsets.

Clause 52: the decentralized computing system of any of clauses 44-51,wherein the middleware server computer is further programmed to: receivea digital transfer proposal with a request to transfer the cryptographicdigital asset to a third party; determine a new unique owner ID codeassociated with the third party; link the cryptographic digital assetwith the new unique owner ID code; and record the unique digital shoe IDcode and the new unique owner ID code on a new transaction block withthe distributed blockchain ledger.

Clause 53: a method of event-based distribution of a cryptographicdigital asset comprises: receiving, from a computing device associatedwith a user, an indication that the computing device is located at apredetermined venue within a predetermined window of time; receiving,from the computing device, a unique owner identification (ID) codeassociated with the user; receiving, from the computing device, a uniquecode acquired by the user; determining a unique digital asset ID codecorresponding to the received unique code, the unique digital asset IDcode representative of the cryptographic digital asset; and transmittinga cryptographic block to a distributed blockchain ledger to recordtransfer of the cryptographic digital asset to the user, thecryptographic block comprising both the unique digital asset ID code andthe unique owner ID code.

Clause 54: the method of clause 53, wherein the cryptographic digitalasset includes genotype data representative of a digital shoe or articleof apparel.

Clause 55: the method of clause 53, wherein the cryptographic digitalasset includes genotype data that is representative of an attribute of adigital shoe or article of apparel though is not representative of anentire digital shoe or article of apparel.

Clause 56: the method of clause 55, further comprising modifying apreexisting digital asset having genotype data representative of adigital shoe or article of apparel using the genotype datarepresentative of the attribute of a digital shoe or article of apparel.

Clause 57: the method of any of clauses 53-56, wherein the indicationthat the computing device is located at the predetermined venuecomprises an indication of whether GPS coordinates of the computingdevice are within a predefined geofence or closed geographic boundary.

Clause 58: the method of any of clauses 53-57, wherein the indicationthat the computing device is located at the predetermined venuecomprises an indication of whether the computing device is in proximityto an 802.11 or BLUETOOTH beacon.

Clause 59: the method of any of clauses 53-58, wherein the indicationthat the computing device is located at the predetermined venuecomprises an image acquired by the computing device, or a representationthereof, from which one or more visual attributes of the venue may beidentified.

Clause 60: the method of any of clauses 53-59, wherein the receivedunique code comprises a code acquired from a ticket to an event at thevenue.

Clause 61: the method of any of clauses 53-59, wherein the receivedunique code comprises a code that is scanned from a tangible objectwithin the venue or from a merchandise receipt generated within thevenue.

Clause 62: the method of any of clauses 53-61, further comprisingreceiving an indication that a conditional event has occurred during thepredetermined window of time; and wherein the transmitting of thecryptographic block to the distributed blockchain ledger occurs onlyafter the indication is received that the conditional event hasoccurred.

Clause 63: the method of any of clauses 53-62, wherein determining theunique digital asset ID code comprises: directing an application or aninternet browser running on the computing device to a virtual storefrontdisplay comprising a plurality of different displayed cryptographicdigital assets; receiving an indication of a selection of one of theplurality of different displayed cryptographic digital assets; andwherein the determined unique digital asset ID code corresponds to boththe received unique code and the selected one of the plurality ofdifferent displayed cryptographic digital assets.

Clause 64: the method of any of clauses 53-63, further comprising:receiving a digital transfer proposal with a request to transfer thecryptographic digital asset to an acquiring party; determining a uniqueowner ID code of the acquiring party; linking the cryptographic digitalasset with the unique owner ID code of the acquiring party; andtransmitting the unique digital asset ID code and the unique owner IDcode of the acquiring party to the distributed blockchain ledger forrecordation on a new transaction block.

Clause 65: the method of any of clauses 53-64, wherein the uniquedigital asset ID code includes a cryptographic token key with a codestring segmented into a series of code subsets, wherein a firstplurality of the code subsets includes genotype data corresponding toone or more phenotypic expressions the digital asset.

Clause 66: the method of clause 65, wherein the digital asset is acomputer-generated digital shoe.

Clause 67: the method of clause 66, wherein the plurality of attributesof the computer-generated digital shoe includes at least one of:colorway, materials, manufacturing, make, and/or model data.

Clause 68: the method of clause 65, further comprising exporting atleast one of the digital asset ID code or at least one of the pluralityof attributes of the digital asset to a digital video game applicationsuch that the digital asset is represented within the digitalapplication and modifies one or more aspects of the gameplay of thedigital video game application.

What is claimed:
 1. A method for provisioning cryptographic digitalassets, the method comprising: receiving, via a dedicated mobileapplication (mobile app) operating on a personal computing device of auser, a first notification of a future transaction of physical retailproducts; transmitting, via the mobile app over a distributed computingnetwork to a remote computing node, a request by the user to participatein the future transaction; receiving, via the mobile app over thedistributed computing network from the remote computing node, a secondnotification that the user is one of a select number of users added to avirtual line or bin associated with the future transaction of thephysical retail products; receiving, via the mobile app over thedistributed computing network from the remote computing node, a thirdnotification that the user is selected to be in one of: a first subsetof users selected from the users added to the virtual line or bin andeach designated to receive a respective one of the physical retailproducts; or a second subset of users selected from the users added tothe virtual line or bin and not selected for the first subset of users,the second subset of users each designated to receive a respective oneof the cryptographic digital assets, each of the cryptographic digitalassets including a digital object and a unique digital asset code;receiving, via the mobile app responsive to the user being selected tobe in the second subset of users, a fourth notification confirmingtransfer of the respective one of the cryptographic digital assets to arespective digital wallet associated with the user; and receiving, viathe mobile app, a fifth notification confirming transmittal of theunique digital asset code to a distributed blockchain ledger to recordthe transfer of the respective one of the cryptographic digital assetsto the user.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the uniquedigital asset codes includes a unique code string with a private key anda public key.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the digitalobjects includes a virtual representation or an image of one of thephysical retail products, a unique design rendering of a physicalobject, and/or a unique design file of an object.
 4. The method of claim1, wherein the digital objects of the cryptographic digital assets aredistinct from one another.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein thecryptographic digital assets include: a first asset set containing firstcryptographic digital assets of a first type, and a second asset setcontaining second cryptographic digital assets of a second type distinctfrom the first type.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the second subsetof users includes: a first subset group each designated to receive arespective one of the first cryptographic digital assets from the firstasset set, and a second subset group each designated to receive arespective one the second cryptographic digital assets from the secondasset set.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first asset setincludes a first number of the first cryptographic digital assets, andthe second asset set includes a second number, distinct from the firstnumber, of the second cryptographic digital assets.
 8. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising receiving, via the mobile app after transferof the respective one of the cryptographic digital assets to therespective digital wallet of the user, an electronic message including aunique key with a unique hashed address to a unique cryptographic token.9. The method of claim 1 further comprising: transmitting, from thepersonal computing device of the user to the remote computing node,activity data indicating the user completed a predefined activity; andreceiving, via the mobile app, a new notification that the user advancedto a new position forward in the virtual line or bin based on thereceived activity data.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein each of thecryptographic digital assets includes respective genotype datarepresentative of an appearance trait of the digital object, the digitalobject including a digital shoe or a digital article of apparel.
 11. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the request to participate in the futuretransaction includes a unique quick reference (QR) code acquired by theuser from a ticket to an event at a designated venue, a tangible objectwithin the designated venue, or a merchandise receipt generated withinthe designated venue.
 12. A non-transitory computer-readable mediumstoring instructions executable by one or more processors of acontroller of a personal computing device of a user, the instructions,when executed by the one or more processors during operation of adedicated mobile application (mobile app), causing the controller toperform operations comprising: receiving a first notification of afuture transaction of physical retail products; transmitting, to aremote computing node, a request to participate in the futuretransaction; receiving, from the remote computing node, a secondnotification confirming the user is one of a select number of usersadded to a virtual line or bin associated with the future transaction ofthe physical retail products; receiving, from the remote computing node,a third notification confirming the user is selected to be in one of: afirst subset of users selected from the users added to the virtual lineor bin and each designated to receive a respective one of the physicalretail products; or a second subset of users selected from the usersadded to the virtual line or bin and not selected for the first subsetof users, the second subset of users each designated to receive arespective one of a plurality of cryptographic digital assets, each ofthe cryptographic digital assets including a digital object and a uniquedigital asset code; receiving, responsive to the user being selected tobe in the second subset of users, a fourth notification confirmingtransfer of the respective one of the cryptographic digital assets to arespective digital wallet associated with the user; and receiving afifth notification confirming transmittal of the unique digital assetcode to a distributed blockchain ledger to record the transfer of therespective one of the cryptographic digital assets to the user.
 13. Thecomputer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the unique digital assetcode includes a unique code string with a private key and a public key.14. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the digital objectincludes a virtual representation or an image of one of the physicalretail products, a unique design rendering of a physical object, and/ora unique design file of an object.
 15. The computer-readable medium ofclaim 12, wherein the digital objects of the cryptographic digitalassets are distinct from one another.
 16. The computer-readable mediumof claim 12, wherein the cryptographic digital assets include: a firstasset set containing first cryptographic digital assets of a first type,and a second asset set containing second cryptographic digital assets ofa second type distinct from the first type.
 17. The computer-readablemedium of claim 12, wherein the instructions further cause thecontroller to: transmit, to the remote computing node, activity dataindicating the user completed a predefined activity; and receive a newnotification that the user advanced to a new position forward in thevirtual line or bin based on the received activity data.
 18. Thecomputer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein each of the cryptographicdigital assets includes respective genotype data representative of anappearance trait of the digital object, the digital object including adigital shoe or a digital article of apparel.
 19. The computer-readablemedium of claim 12, wherein the instructions further cause thecontroller to receive a smart contract operable to authenticateownership of and to track future transaction of the respective one ofthe cryptographic digital assets.
 20. The computer-readable medium ofclaim 12, wherein the request to participate in the future transactionincludes a unique quick reference (QR) code acquired by the user from aticket to an event at a designated venue, a tangible object within thedesignated venue, or a merchandise receipt generated within thedesignated venue.